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)

The given diagram illutrates the formation of rain-shadow desert. It is a type of desert formed after multiple processes.

Overall, we can see the formation of rain-shadow desert is a result of seven different processes which takes place over a specific time period.

It starts when winds from sea approach coast and gets pushed upwards towards mountains where moist air rises and cools and then the cloud formation takes place which results in rainfall.The process continues with the movement of dry air flowing downwards and reaches the inland areas where the formation of rain-shadow desert takes place.

This procedure unfolds across thousands of kilometres

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the diagram as a process and report its main sequence: winds approach the coast, rise over the mountains, cool, form clouds and produce rain, before dry air reaches inland areas. The overview also recognises that the process has seven stages. However, the account is brief and some important details are under-developed: it does not clearly distinguish the windward and leeward sides, or explain that the rain-shadow desert forms beyond the mountains on the inland side. The statement that the stages occur “over a specific time period” is not supported by the diagram, which instead indicates a horizontal distance of thousands of kilometres. The response is also 46 words below the required minimum. Develop the stages and their locations more fully, using only information shown.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall order, moving from an introduction and overview to the sequence of events, then ending with the distance indicated in the diagram. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “It starts when,” and “The process continues” help the reader follow this progression. However, the main process is compressed into one long sentence, and the transition from rainfall to dry air reaching inland is not clearly separated or elaborated. The final sentence, “This procedure unfolds across thousands of kilometres,” is relevant but feels detached from the preceding explanation. Use separate sentences or paragraphs for the overview and stages, and connect each stage explicitly to the next. This would make the progression more consistently clear and reduce the impression of compressed reporting.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “approach,” “rises and cools,” “cloud formation,” and “movement of dry air.” These choices make the general sequence understandable, and “rain-shadow desert” is used consistently. Some wording is imprecise or repetitive, however: “formation” appears several times, while “specific time period” does not accurately describe the diagram’s distance scale. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “illutrates” and “the cloud formation takes place.” Aim for more precise terms such as “distance” or “across thousands of kilometres,” and vary repeated nouns with suitable alternatives. Accurate spelling and natural collocations will make the description clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “a result of seven different processes which takes place” and a sequence joined with “where” and “and then.” The main meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. In the quoted clause, “processes” requires the plural verb “take”; “winds … approach coast” needs an article before “coast”; and “winds … gets pushed” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an unclear shift in number. The long sentence beginning “It starts when” also joins several stages without clear punctuation, and there is no space after “rainfall.” Use shorter, controlled sentences and check articles, agreement, and punctuation. This would improve accuracy while preserving your attempts at complex structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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