Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-04

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 depicts the formation of rain-shadow deserts from one kind of desert.

In the first stage, winds comes above sea and approach to coast. After that, winds pushed to the upward side. In the third stage, because of the height is increased, moist air rises as well as cools. Therfore, air convert in the form of clouds.

Furthermore, at top of the mountain clouds absorb water and it causes rain falls. Subsequently, at the leaward side, rain falls stopped and dry air continues over mountain. In the last stage, dry winds reach to the inland areas at it converts into the rain-shadow desert.

Overall, this processure consist of seven different steps. It begins with winds comes toward to coast via above sea and ends with dry winds approach to the inland areas and turn out into the rain-shadow desert. Also, the width of the mountain is thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, identifying the movement of air, the cooling effect, and the resulting rain-shadow effect. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview of the process as a whole. While the student attempts to summarise the steps, the analysis is quite basic and misses opportunities to highlight the causal relationships between the mountain's height and the precipitation patterns more effectively. The inclusion of 'thousands of kilometres' is a specific detail, but the overall development of the information is limited, keeping it at a mid-level band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. Cohesive devices such as 'In the first stage', 'Furthermore', and 'Subsequently' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly awkward or repetitive, such as the use of 'In the last stage' followed by 'Overall, this processure consist of...'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for the task, providing a clear structure from introduction to conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward word choices or incorrect collocations, such as 'winds comes above sea', 'air convert in the form of clouds', and 'processure'. While the student uses some relevant technical terms like 'leaward side' and 'rain-shadow', the overall range is limited. The errors in word formation and collocation are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the intended meaning of the process.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('winds comes', 'rain falls stopped'), incorrect verb forms ('air convert'), and missing articles or prepositions ('at top of the mountain', 'reach to the inland'). These errors are persistent and occur in almost every sentence. While the meaning remains clear, the lack of control over basic grammatical structures prevents the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to verb tenses and sentence construction is needed.

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

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