Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustrates the formation of rain shadow desert and the process of it's formed.

Overall, there are seven steps for formation where rainfalls and air played a huge role of final formation. However, Sea, mountains and inland is the main charecter for this rain shadow deserts.

In the first stage wind come to approach sea coast where winds pushed upwards by the side of mountains. Next moist air rises and cools that winds in the mountains windward side which helps to make clouds in the next step when clouds forms in the 4th stage then the rain falls in the stage of 5 which happened in the top of the mountains. Dry air countinues over mountain from the leeward side and next this dry winds reach inland areas where rain shaow desert formated in the long run. Although ,sea and the rain shaow desert distance is thousands of kilometres from the ground.

The formation is mostly depends on rainfalls that help the most to create rain shoaw desert

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and include several key stages: winds approach the coast, rise over the mountains, cool, form clouds, and produce rain before dry air reaches inland areas. This gives the reader a broadly relevant account. However, the overview is unclear and does not clearly summarise the defining contrast between the wet windward side and the dry leeward side, where the rain-shadow desert forms. Some details are also inaccurate or confusing: the opening says winds approach the sea coast, while the diagram shows winds approaching the coast from the sea; the final sentence about the distance is difficult to interpret. Focus the overview on the movement of moist air, rainfall on the windward side, and the resulting dry conditions inland.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable structure: an introduction, an attempted overview, and a paragraph describing the stages. The sequence markers “In the first stage,” “Next,” and “in the 4th stage” help show the order of events. However, progression is weakened by long, crowded sentences that combine several stages, particularly the sentence beginning “Next moist air rises and cools.” The final sentence repeats the idea that rainfall is important without adding a clear concluding point, and “Although” does not connect logically to the distance statement that follows. Use one clear sequence of stages, with sentence boundaries between major changes, and make the overview distinct from the detailed description.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “rain falls,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems make parts difficult to understand. For example, “rain shadow desert” is inconsistently written, “rain shaow” and “rain shoaw” are misspelled, and “final formation” and “formated in the long run” are unnatural expressions. “Played a huge role” is also informal and imprecise for an academic process description. Aim for accurate terms such as “rain-shadow desert,” “precipitation,” and “forms,” and avoid repeating “stage” when a precise process verb can describe the change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence linked with “where,” “which,” and “when.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, and articles frequently affect clarity. Examples include “the process of it's formed,” “winds pushed upwards,” “clouds forms,” and “The formation is mostly depends.” The sentence beginning “Next moist air rises and cools” also has an unclear clause structure, making it difficult to tell what “that winds” refers to. Punctuation is sometimes faulty, as in “Although ,sea.” Practise forming accurate passive and present-simple process sentences, such as “The winds are forced upwards” and “The air cools and clouds form,” before combining stages into longer sentences.

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