Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-09

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 illustration displays the origin of one of the types of desert, named as rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the process contains 7 steps in total.It starts from aprroaching the wind to coast and moving upward and downward through the mountain and reaching the dry winds to inland areas to make rain-shadow desert.

The process starts when wind passes the sea and reach at the level of coast, the mountains standing on the way pushes the wind in upward direction. In third step, the moist in air rises, reaching half way to the top of mountain catagorized as windward side.

In next step, clouds form and starts rain fall.In 6th step, the remaining dry air continues passing overe the mountain crossing the level named as leeward side. In the final step, dry winds that left the moisture in clouds now reachingggg the area called inland. Here the formation of rain-shadow occure after following the series of steps.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the diagram as a rain-shadow desert process and give a clear overall account that it has seven stages, moving from coastal winds to dry inland conditions. Most key events are included, including upward movement, cooling, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air crossing the mountain. However, some details are unclear or imprecise: the wind does not move “upward and downward through the mountain,” and the text does not clearly explain that moist air rises and cools before clouds form and rain falls on the windward side. The final link between dry winds reaching inland and the rain-shadow desert could also be stated more directly. A more precise overview and clearer explanation of the windward-to-leeward contrast would make the main features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the stages in sequence. This helps the reader follow the general process, and phrases such as “In third step,” “In next step,” and “In the final step” signal progression. However, the sequencing language is sometimes mechanical, and the overview’s phrase “moving upward and downward through the mountain” makes the process difficult to follow. Some links between stages are also abrupt, particularly the move from rainfall to the dry air crossing the mountain. Improve cohesion by using clearer cause-and-effect links, such as explaining that rain removes moisture before the air descends on the leeward side. Check spacing after full stops to make the presentation easier to read.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “rain fall,” “dry air,” “windward side,” and “leeward side,” which shows an adequate range for describing the diagram. Some attempts at more specific wording are useful, but several choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward, such as “named as,” “the moist in air,” and “the formation of rain-shadow occure.” Spelling errors such as “aprroaching,” “catagorized,” and “overe” also reduce precision. Aim for standard collocations and accurate forms, for example, “known as,” “moisture in the air,” and “the rain-shadow desert forms.” These improvements would make the description more natural and precise without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors in sentence structure and grammatical control occur in several places. For example, “the mountains standing on the way pushes the wind” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an incomplete construction, while “wind passes the sea and reach at the level of coast” has inconsistent verb forms and an awkward sentence pattern. The sentence beginning “In third step” also needs an article, and “clouds form and starts rain fall” does not maintain agreement. There are some punctuation problems, including missing spaces after full stops. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent present-tense forms to describe each stage.

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