Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

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 shows how the rain shadow desert are formed. The process constist of seven stages from sea to the inland.

Overall, the process is distributed in seven stages from winds approaching coast to cloud formation then dry wind that reach inland areas. The process starts from the sea and its coast then mountains to the inland and it is spreaded to thousands of kilometers to form the rain shadow deserts.

The formation of rain shadow desert first stage is winds approach coast where the winds comes from the ocean to the coast of the sea then, wind is pushed upwards to reach the peak of the mountain.Third, the air gets moisterized and cool. Fourth, the clouds are formed.

Moreover, the fifth stage is rain fall over the peak of the mountians. Afterthat, dry air countinues the flow downwards the mountion on the leeward side. Atlast dry wind reaches the inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence, from winds approaching the coast through rainfall on the mountain to dry air reaching inland, and you identify the rain-shadow desert as the outcome. The overview also notes the sea-to-inland direction and the mountain setting. However, some stages are less fully or clearly described: the key explanation that moist air rises and cools before clouds form is compressed into “the air gets moisterized and cool,” and the relationship between rainfall on the windward side and dry conditions beyond the leeward side could be made more explicit. The reference to thousands of kilometres is included, but its significance as the horizontal scale is not explained. A more precise overview of this cause-and-effect pattern would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and then a description of the stages in sequence. Ordinal markers such as “Third,” “Fourth,” and “the fifth stage” help the reader follow the process. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the overview repeats information already given in the introduction without adding much. Some links between stages are abrupt, particularly the move from “the clouds are formed” to rainfall and then to dry air. The sentence beginning “The formation of rain shadow desert first stage” is also difficult to follow because its structure obscures the transition into the first step. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each stage through cause and effect, rather than relying mainly on numbering.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “winds,” “coast,” “peak,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” so the main subject remains understandable. There are also attempts at more specific terms, such as “rain shadow desert.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable: “constist,” “moisterized,” “mountions,” and “countinues” reduce accuracy, while “the air gets moisterized” is not a natural way to describe the diagram. Repetition of “process,” “stage,” and “wind” also limits variety. Choose standard geographical terms and check spelling carefully; for example, “moist air” and “precipitation” would describe the relevant stages more precisely. These improvements would make the vocabulary more reliable and appropriate for an academic process description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the sequence is generally recoverable. However, grammatical control is uneven, especially in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries. For example, “the rain shadow desert are formed” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “the winds comes” should use a plural verb form. The sentence “The formation of rain shadow desert first stage is winds approach coast” is structurally unclear, while “Third, the air gets moisterized and cool” does not maintain a consistent verb form. Punctuation also needs attention: there is no space after the full stop in “mountain.Third,” and several clauses run together. Practise building clear sentences with a subject and verb for each stage, then check agreement and punctuation.

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