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 diagram illustrates the process of formation of rain-shadow deserts from moutain's other side of coastal area.

Overall, the process start with wind approch to the mountain, travel up to mountain's peak and then become dry in air. The dry air reach inland area and become rain-shadow desert there. The distance between coast and desert is thoudsands of kilometres.

the process is involved seven steps of formation of rain-shadow deserts. Firstly, winds approch towards mountain, from mountain winds pushed upwards. In the third step, winds are contacted with air moisture and then cools down at windward side. In the following step, they are converted in to cloud form and then rain falls up to mountain. Because of dry air continue over mountain,it travel downward to leeward side. The dry winds reach at inland areas where they desolve in to land, resulting it become rain-shadow desert. There is vast range of distance between coastal area and desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence and provide an overview: winds rise over the mountains, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air reaches inland to create the desert. You also mention the coast-to-desert distance as thousands of kilometres, which matches the diagram. This is relevant and gives the reader the basic process. However, some stages are not described precisely: the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form, whereas “winds are contacted with air moisture” is unclear. The final explanation that the winds “desolve in to land” is also inaccurate; they continue inland, and the rain-shadow desert is the resulting dry region. Clarifying these stages and distinguishing the air’s movement from the desert’s formation would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and a chronological description of the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “In the third step,” and “In the following step” help the reader follow the process. The overall progression is coherent, but cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and some references are unclear. For example, “they are converted in to cloud form” makes it sound as though the winds become clouds, rather than clouds forming as moist air cools. The final sentence repeats the distance point already given in the overview. Use clearer links between cause and result, and avoid repeating information so that each paragraph adds a distinct feature.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “inland areas,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also an attempt to describe stages with verbs such as “pushed upwards” and “reach.” However, inaccurate word choice and spelling reduce precision: “approch,” “moutain,” and “thoudsands” are misspelled, while “desolve in to land” does not express the intended process. Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “converted in to cloud form” and “vast range of distance.” Build accuracy with standard process collocations and check spelling; for example, say that clouds form and that dry air continues inland, rather than describing the winds as dissolving.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a cause-and-result construction with “Because of dry air continue over mountain.” The sequence is generally understandable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries are frequent enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. Examples include “the process start,” “winds are contacted,” and “it travel downward”; these need forms such as “the process starts,” “the air comes into contact,” and “it travels downward.” The opening of the final paragraph also begins with a lowercase “the,” and punctuation is missing after “mountain” in “mountain,it.” Practise accurate present-simple descriptions and use complete clauses with clear subjects.

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