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 process of making rain-shadow in desert.

Overall, making process contains 7 steps. It starts from coast wind and finish dry wind. Wind from the coast took sands upstairs , sand and dry cold air mixed each others and made mountains.This Mountain's length is thousends of kilometres.

It started from the sea winds, which is cold and the wind pushed sands upwards. Such a high zone makes air more colder and sand got even cold and heavy. Sea and cold weather makes weather for rain and raining gets sand more havier. The mountain's top got wet and looks like an ice. After dry air continues over maintain's leeward side. The last step looks dry wind comes down and reaches inland areas, where is sands.

Strong wind, coold air and rain are main factors of making rain-shadow deserts. Because the mountain's top is colld and wet it gets more heavy and it is not easy to fall down.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the diagram as a process and give a broad overview that it has seven steps, but the account only partially reports the actual stages. The key sequence is that moist air from the sea is forced up the windward slope, cools, forms clouds and produces rain; dry air then crosses the mountain and reaches inland, creating the rain-shadow desert. Instead, you repeatedly describe sand being pushed upwards and forming the mountain, and say the mountain becomes wet or icy and heavy. These are not shown in the diagram and obscure the central process. To improve, describe the labelled stages accurately and explain the contrast between the rainy windward side and dry leeward side, without adding unsupported causes or effects.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: you begin with an introduction and overview, then attempt to describe the process and finish with a concluding statement. However, the progression is not consistently clear because stages are repeated or mixed with explanations that do not match the diagram. For example, the account moves from winds pushing sand to rain making sand heavier, then to dry air crossing the mountain, so the reader cannot reliably follow the sequence. Linking phrases such as “After” and “The last step” help signal order, but some connections are unclear and the final explanation repeats earlier ideas rather than summarising the process. Use one paragraph for the overview and a second to describe the stages in order, with clear references to each side of the mountain.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “coast,” “mountains,” “leeward side,” “inland areas,” and “dry air,” which shows an attempt to describe the diagram specifically. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices make the process difficult to understand. “Making rain-shadow in desert” and “took sands upstairs” are not natural descriptions, while “sand” is repeatedly used where the diagram indicates moist air or wind. There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “thousends,” “havier,” and “colld.” Aim for precise terms from the visual, such as “moist air,” “rises,” “cools,” “precipitation,” and “rain-shadow desert,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a sequence linked with “which” and a clause beginning “where,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement and verb forms appear in “winds, which is cold” and “the last step looks dry wind comes down.” Articles and sentence construction are also problematic in phrases such as “making process contains 7 steps” and “it is not easy to fall down.” These errors sometimes make the intended relationships between stages unclear. Work on forming complete, accurate clauses: for example, “The winds are pushed upwards” and “As the moist air rises, it cools and clouds form.” Practise subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, while keeping each process stage in a clear sentence.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.