Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-13

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 process diagram illustrates the formation of rain-shadow deserts.

Overall, the process involved seven distinct stages, including upward movement of winds, cloud formation, precipitation and the movement of dry air towards inland areas.

Initially, the process begins when wind approach to a coast. Then, it continues to rises upward and cool down. Once reached upward it forms a cloud. Subsequently, clouds are filled with water and rainfall occurs.

In the following stages, after covering thousands of kilometers, dry air moves over mountain and converted into dry winds. Finally, dry winds reach the inland areas. Thus, forming a rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as involving seven stages and give its broad direction, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. This provides a relevant overview, but the account only partially covers the diagram’s key features. For example, it does not clearly explain that moist air rises and cools on the windward side, causing clouds and rain, while the air then crosses the mountains and becomes dry on the leeward side, creating the rain-shadow desert inland. The phrase “after covering thousands of kilometers” also misuses the diagram’s scale label as a process stage. The response is 51 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail provided. Develop each stage more fully and explicitly connect the rainfall and drying to desert formation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence: an introduction, a brief overview, and then stages introduced with “Initially,” “Then,” “Subsequently,” and “Finally.” These markers help the reader follow the process from the coast towards inland areas. However, the progression becomes less clear in the final body paragraph: “after covering thousands of kilometers” is not a process event, and “Thus, forming a rain-shadow desert” is a fragment rather than a complete concluding sentence. Some links also feel mechanical because the stages are compressed into a few short sentences. To strengthen cohesion, group the windward stages and leeward stages clearly, and use cause-and-effect links to show how cooling leads to rain and how the remaining dry air contributes to desert formation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “precipitation,” “inland areas,” “dry air,” and “rain-shadow deserts,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate. “Wind approach to a coast” does not express the movement naturally, while “clouds are filled with water” is an imprecise description of cloud formation and rainfall. “Converted into dry winds” also suggests a sudden transformation rather than air becoming drier as it crosses the mountains. The phrase “covering thousands of kilometers” misinterprets the scale label. Use precise process language such as “moist air rises,” “condenses,” and “rain falls on the windward slope” to describe the stages accurately and avoid repeating “dry” without further explanation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the overview sentence with “including” and the time link “Once reached upward.” However, some sentence structures and verb forms are inaccurate, and these errors sometimes make the process harder to follow. For example, “wind approach” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “it continues to rises upward and cool down” uses an incorrect infinitive form and inconsistent verb agreement. “Once reached upward” lacks a clear subject, while “Thus, forming a rain-shadow desert” is an incomplete sentence. Aim for complete clauses with consistent tense, such as “The winds are forced upwards, where the moist air cools and clouds form.” This would improve accuracy while allowing you to show a wider range of structures.

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