Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The given picture illustrates the formation process of the rain-shadows desert, and it also describes each step breifly.

The entire process comprises of 7 steps. Initial steps 1 and 2 consists of the approaching of winds towards the coast and then up to the mountain, where in step 3 that air's moisture rises and cools it down.

While 4th step is of the cloud formation afterwards in the rains begins in the 5th one. Then Dry countinues to reach down the mountain at step 6th and 7th, thats where the rain-shadow desert formation occurs.

The whole procedure occurs on the mountain that covers the total area of Thounsands of kilometers. The process starts from the sea and ends in the in land.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the diagram as a seven-step process and mention its broad movement from the sea towards inland areas, which gives the reader a basic account of the topic. However, the description is incomplete and some key stages are unclear or inaccurate: for example, moisture does not itself “rise and cool”; moist air rises and cools, leading to cloud formation and rain on the windward side. The crucial contrast between the wet windward side and dry leeward side is not clearly explained, and the final formation of the desert is only briefly asserted. The statement that the process occurs “on the mountain” also oversimplifies the diagram. The response is 28 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail available. Include a clear overview and explain the full cause-and-effect sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the numbered sequence, using markers such as “Initial steps 1 and 2,” “step 3,” and “4th step,” so the reader can generally follow the order. The movement from the sea to the inland area also provides a basic overall progression. However, the ideas are compressed into two paragraphs, and links between stages are sometimes awkward: “While 4th step is of the cloud formation afterwards in the rains begins” makes the sequence difficult to process. The final paragraph introduces the scale and location without clearly connecting them to the process. Use a separate overview and organise the stages into a clear sequence, with linking phrases that show cause and result, such as “as a result” and “therefore.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “formation process,” “approaching,” “cloud formation,” and “moisture,” and terms such as “sea,” “coast,” and “mountain” help establish the setting. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear. “Rain-shadows desert” is not the diagram’s label, while “Dry continues to reach down the mountain” does not clearly describe dry air moving over the mountain. Spelling errors such as “breifly,” “countinues,” and “Thounsands” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of terms for the stages, including “moist air,” “precipitation,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “rain-shadow desert,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine ideas in longer sentences, for example by linking the first stages with “and then” and using “where” to introduce the next step. However, control is inconsistent, and several sentence structures are faulty. In “The entire process comprises of 7 steps,” the verb pattern is incorrect; “Initial steps 1 and 2 consists” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “where in step 3 that air's moisture rises and cools it down” is structurally unclear. The sentence beginning “While 4th step” is also a fragment, and punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then connect them with subordinate clauses to explain cause and sequence. Check agreement, articles, and complete sentence structure.

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