Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-12

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 diagrams below shows type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.Wind, mountain and rain are the main approch which helps on formming a rain shadow deserts.

Generally, it involved seven stages to form deserts. It started from Wind approach at coast in windward side of mountains and subsequently formming rain in peak of mountain and ends with dry winds inland in leeward side deserts.

It commences with coast of sea where high winds are approach towards hills. Windward side helps to create moist in the air which cools down and form a cloud. In stage four, coulds come together and form a rail falls.

Subsequently, rain falls at the peak of mountains becasue of which dry air contionuesly move in leeward side of mountains. Dry air reach to inland areas of another side of mountain. Finally, with cool air a rain-shadow desert is formed. The distance between sea coast and rain-shadow desert is thousands of kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence and give an overview that the process has seven stages, beginning with winds approaching the coast and ending with dry winds reaching inland areas. You also identify the windward and leeward sides and the long distance to the desert, so the response addresses the diagram. However, some stages are not fully or clearly explained: for example, the mountains force the moist air upwards, and the air cools before clouds form and rain falls on the windward side. The statement that “with cool air a rain-shadow desert is formed” is not supported by the diagram; it is the dry conditions on the inland, leeward side that define the desert. Make the causal links more precise and distinguish the stages clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a general overview, and paragraphs describing the process in sequence. Sequencing expressions such as “Generally,” “It commences,” “Subsequently,” and “Finally” help guide the reader through the stages. However, some links are mechanical or unclear, and the progression is occasionally disrupted. For instance, “Windward side helps to create moist in the air” does not clearly connect the mountain’s role to the rising air, while “In stage four” is followed by an unclear description of cloud formation and rainfall. Use clearer references to each stage and connect cause and result explicitly, so the reader can follow the process without having to infer missing links.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward,” “leeward,” “moist,” “dry air,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which shows an adequate range for describing the diagram. Some less common terms are attempted, but inaccurate word choice, collocation, and spelling reduce precision. Examples include “main approch,” “formming rain,” “coulds,” and “rail falls”; these make parts of the description difficult to interpret. “High winds are approach” and “create moist in the air” also use words in unnatural combinations. Aim for accurate process phrases such as “moist air rises,” “clouds form,” and “precipitation falls,” and check spelling and word forms carefully. This would make your account clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sequence joined with “and” and a cause-and-effect clause beginning “because of which.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “The diagrams below shows” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “Wind, mountain and rain are the main approch which helps” has problems with number and clause agreement. Verb forms are also inaccurate in “high winds are approach” and “dry air contionuesly move.” Articles and sentence boundaries need attention as well, particularly in the opening, where “formed.Wind” runs two sentences together. Practise forming accurate present-simple process sentences, while retaining a mix of sentence structures.

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