Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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 diagram shows a type of rain - shadow deserts . That desert very important to over wethers .

Overall, Rain shadows deserts have 7 steps . It's starting window apporach coast and it's finishing dry winds reach inland areas . This prosses like a cycle . That desert shows a under prosess of thousend of kilometres . it's combine to sea , sky and mountains .

First of all, Winds approach coast in sea . It's pushed upwards in mountanis . Although winds changed .It's has become moist air rises and cools has clouds forms . it's making black rain cloud . That prossess After the clouds are makeing rain falls . The raing , leeward combine and making dri air .

Furthermore ,It's leeward side to down converting dri air continues over mountain . After than last step that dry winds reach inland areas and makeing anrain shadow desert . This step continuies 1000 times .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a process and give its broad sequence, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. You also mention the mountains, rain, and the resulting desert, so the response is relevant to the task. However, the account is only partly accurate and developed: the overview calls the process a “cycle,” although the diagram shows a sequence, and “This step continuies 1000 times” is not supported by the visual. Several key links are unclear, including how moist air rises and cools, clouds form, and rain leaves dry air to cross the mountain. To improve, give a precise overview and explain each main stage and the windward-to-leeward contrast accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an overall paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing stages. It also attempts sequencing with “First of all” and “Furthermore,” and the beginning-to-end order is broadly recognisable. However, progression within sentences is often difficult to follow, as in “It's has become moist air rises and cools has clouds forms,” and the links between rain, the leeward side, and dry air are unclear. Some connectors are inaccurate or do not show the relationship intended; “Although” introduces no clear contrast, while “After than” is not an effective sequence marker. Use shorter, clearly ordered sentences and link each stage explicitly with terms such as “as a result” and “then.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “coast,” “mountains,” “moist air,” “clouds,” “leeward side,” and “rain-shadow desert.” These terms show an attempt to describe the diagram rather than relying entirely on general language. However, the range and control are limited, and frequent spelling and word-choice problems make parts difficult to understand: “wethers,” “prosses,” “raing,” and “dri air.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “under prosess of thousend of kilometres” and “makeing anrain shadow desert.” Learn the diagram’s key terms and use them accurately, especially “windward,” “leeward,” “precipitation,” and “rain shadow.” Check spelling and collocation before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the response uses some sequencing clauses. However, sentence structures are often faulty, and errors frequently make relationships between stages hard to understand. For example, “It's has become moist air rises and cools has clouds forms” combines clauses without a workable grammatical structure; “Winds approach coast in sea” is missing necessary articles and prepositions; and “the clouds are makeing rain falls” has an incorrect verb pattern. Subject–verb agreement and verb forms are also inconsistent. Build accurate simple sentences first—for example, “The moist air rises and cools, forming clouds”—then add a limited number of correctly joined clauses. Check articles, agreement, and verb forms in each sentence.

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