Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-06

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 5.5)

The given diagram illustrates the formation of a rain-shadow desert. Overall the process involves seven steps followed by one and other in a sequence. Each step contributes to the next step. The diagram shows the two sides of mountain i.e Windward side and Leeward side on the

In the initial step: winds blow over the sea, approaching to coast and pushed upwards in the second step. Then comes the third step in which the air turns moist and cold. Clouds are formed in this stage in the forth step on the Windward side. These clouds reach the top of the thousands kilometres tall mountain, where they drop rain in the fifth step. In the subsequent step, the rain stops and dry air starts to blow on the Leeward side of the mountain. Ultimately, these dry winds reach inland areas in the final step to form the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram’s subject and describe the main sequence, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland and forming a desert. However, the overview is weak: “Each step contributes to the next step” does not summarise the key cause-and-effect pattern, namely that moist air rises and rains on the windward side, leaving dry air to descend or continue across the leeward side. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the mountain is not described as thousands of kilometres tall; that label indicates horizontal distance. The account also says “the rain stops,” rather than explaining that the air becomes dry after precipitation. The response is two words below the required minimum. Develop the overview and clarify the process’s central contrast.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are presented in broadly chronological order, and sequencing phrases such as “In the initial step,” “Then,” and “Ultimately” help the reader follow the process. However, the opening overview is incomplete and the sentence ending “on the” is an unfinished fragment, which interrupts the progression. The response is also arranged as one block, with the overview and detailed stages not clearly separated. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated references to numbered steps, while “In the subsequent step” does not make the transition especially clear. Use a brief overview followed by a separate paragraph tracing the stages, and connect each stage through cause and effect rather than relying mainly on sequence markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist,” “dry air,” “clouds,” “rain,” and “inland areas,” so the reader can understand the general topic. There is some variety in expressions such as “blow,” “reach,” and “drop rain,” but several choices are imprecise or unnatural. “The air turns moist and cold” is less accurate than describing moist air rising and cooling, while “drop rain” and “the rain stops” do not express the process clearly. “Thousands kilometres tall” also misuses the diagram’s scale label. Aim for precise collocations and terms such as “precipitation,” “windward slope,” and “leeward side,” while avoiding repetition of “step.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple and more developed sentence forms, for example, “These clouds reach the top … where they drop rain,” and the sequence is generally understandable. However, errors and incomplete structures are noticeable. The opening ends with the fragment “on the,” and “followed by one and other” is not a complete or clear construction. There are also problems with articles and prepositions in “approaching to coast,” and the sentence beginning “In the initial step:” is not smoothly integrated with what follows. The use of “i.e” also needs appropriate punctuation. Check that every sentence is complete, and practise accurate patterns for describing movement and stages, such as “winds approach the coast” and “air is pushed upwards.”

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