Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-14

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)

As the following diagram is showing how the rain showed deserts are formed. So, in the first steps we can see that there is sea and coasr whereas the winds on the sea apporaches the coast and then those winds pushes the coasts upwards the mountain which results into the moist air. Now, the moist air rises futhermore towards the mountain and turns cool. When the air turns cools it forms into the clouds moving towards windward side. Afterwards, the clouds moves upwards the mountain and the rain falls. After the rain ends the dry air moves countinousely over the mountain towards the leeward side resulting towards the land area. After that the dry wind reaches inland areas which forms the "Rain-shadow desert". As, this process take a handsome amount of time and a very large area which can result into thousands of kilometers. At the end that inland area turns into the rain-shadow desert after this long process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You describe the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and you correctly identify the rain-shadow desert as the outcome. However, the account is not always precise: the winds are pushed upwards by the mountains, rather than “the coasts,” and the diagram shows rain falling on the windward side before dry air continues over the mountain. The overview is also weak because the response mainly retells the stages instead of clearly summarising the overall pattern: moist air rises and loses rain on the windward side, leaving dry air to create an inland desert. The reference to the process taking “a handsome amount of time” is unsupported; the scale indicates thousands of kilometres, not duration. Clarifying these points would make the key features more complete and accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are presented in broadly chronological order, and sequencing expressions such as “Afterwards” and “After that” help the reader follow the process. However, the response is written as one continuous paragraph, and several links are repetitive or awkward, including “After the rain ends” and “At the end.” Some connections also blur the relationships between stages: for example, the sentence about clouds moving upwards and rain falling could state more directly that precipitation occurs on the windward side before the air crosses the mountain. The opening “As … So” creates an unclear start, while the final sentence repeats the desert’s formation rather than adding a useful concluding overview. Grouping the overview separately from the stages and using more precise links would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “rain-shadow desert,” showing some ability to describe the diagram. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “winds pushes the coasts upwards,” “turns cools,” and “a handsome amount of time.” Spelling errors such as “apporaches,” “futhermore,” and “countinousely” are noticeable and can distract the reader. Repeated use of “moves,” “after,” and “resulting” also makes the description less precise. Aim to use accurate process verbs and collocations—for example, winds are forced upwards, air cools, and rain falls—while checking spelling and avoiding unsupported expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences using clauses such as “When the air turns cools” and “which results into the moist air,” but these structures are often faulty. There are frequent problems with subject–verb agreement and verb forms: “the clouds moves,” “this process take,” and “the winds … approaches.” Articles and sentence construction are also inconsistent, as in “As the following diagram is showing … So,” which does not form a clear opening sentence. These errors sometimes make the sequence harder to understand, although the reader can generally identify the intended stages. Practise forming accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses, checking agreement, tense, and sentence boundaries.

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