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 diagram illustrates how rain-shadow desert is formed. This process consists of 7 main steps, starts from the approach of winds to coast and ends on reaching of the dry winds into inland areas.

First of all, the wind reaches the coast and is pushed upwards by the tides of sea and it gets moist by sea. After that the moist air is moved upward and becomes cool for a while. Later on, It transformed into clouds and the clouds are brought to the top of hill and rains off there heavily.

Next, the air becomes dry after the rain and it starts to descends over the mountain, followed by Leeward side. The distance from the coast to Inland area is about thousands of kilometers. The final step is the arrival of dry winds on inland areas, and the area is transformed into rain-shadow desert by the dry air present there.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, from the moist air approaching the coast to the creation of the desert inland. However, the description is somewhat simplistic and lacks a clear overview or summary of the overall mechanism. The explanation of the process is slightly inaccurate in places, such as attributing the upward movement of air to 'tides of sea' rather than orographic lift caused by the mountain range. While the main features are identified, the response would benefit from a more precise scientific description and a clearer synthesis of how the mountain acts as a barrier to moisture.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into three paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'After that', 'Later on', and 'Next' are used to signal the progression of the process. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the 'Leeward side' and the subsequent inland area could be more smoothly integrated. Overall, the information is arranged logically, but the use of cohesive devices lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'rains off there heavily' and 'tides of sea', which are not standard collocations for describing meteorological processes. The student uses some relevant terms like 'moist air', 'Leeward side', and 'rain-shadow desert', which shows an attempt to use topic-specific language. However, the range is limited, and the phrasing often feels unnatural. To improve, the student should focus on more precise scientific terminology and better collocations related to geography and climate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'starts from the approach of winds to coast' (missing articles), 'It transformed into clouds' (incorrect tense consistency), and 'it starts to descends' (incorrect verb form). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall process, they are frequent enough to impact the fluency of the text. The student needs to pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, article usage, and consistent verb tenses when describing a continuous process.

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

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