Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-08

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 diagram demonstrates, how a well known type of desert formed, called rain-shadow desert.

Overall, winds move upwards and moist air cools and clouds formed then rain falls and again dry air move over mountains and again reaches at inland areas and this is how desert inland creating.

Firstly, winds approches the coast all over the sea and move upward, over windward side. Moist air rises and cools while moving upward the windward side. When the moist air cools down, the clouds formed at windward side and rain falls at the top of mountain.

Secondly, dry air countinues over mountain at leeward side. Dry air moves downward to the mountain and reaches at inland areas there is very little rain. Thus rain shadow desert formed with the lack of rainfall in inland

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main sequence: moist air rises on the windward side, cools, forms clouds and produces rain, while drier air crosses the mountain and reaches inland. This is relevant and includes an overall statement about desert formation. However, the overview is difficult to follow, and some stages are only briefly described; for example, the final effect of very little rainfall inland is mentioned without clearly explaining that this creates the rain-shadow desert. The response also falls 18 words short of the required 150, limiting the detail available. To strengthen the report, give a clearer overview and explain each stage and the contrast between the wet windward side and dry leeward side more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an opening, an overview, and two paragraphs introduced by “Firstly” and “Secondly.” These markers help the reader recognise the sequence. However, progression is not consistently clear: the overview repeats several stages in a confusing way (“and again dry air move over mountains and again reaches”), and the final sentence is incomplete in its connection between inland conditions and desert formation. Some linking is repetitive, while relationships between steps are not always expressed precisely. Organise the process in a straightforward chronological order, using one paragraph for the overview and another for the stages, and use clear links such as “as a result” to show cause and effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “clouds,” and “rain falls,” which helps convey the diagram’s subject. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling or word-choice errors reduce accuracy, such as “approches,” “countinues,” and “creating.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “all over the sea” and “desert inland creating.” Aim for more precise process language and check spelling carefully. For example, describe winds as “approaching from the sea,” air as “continuing across the mountain,” and the desert as “forming inland in the rain shadow.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a sequence with “while” and a cause-and-effect statement beginning “Thus.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. Examples include “the clouds formed” where the present simple is needed for a general process, “dry air move” instead of “dry air moves,” and “reaches at inland areas there is very little rain,” which joins clauses without suitable punctuation or a linking structure. The opening comma in “demonstrates, how” is also unnecessary. Practise consistent present-tense descriptions and build accurate complex sentences, for example: “As the air rises and cools, clouds form and rain falls.”

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