Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05

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 illustrates the formation of range shadow desert due to natural process

Overall , it is clear that this process is linear and have total seven steps , such as wind approaching , coastal area rise in moisture formation of cloud , rain and so on.

First of all, when winds form sea approaches the coastal area near the mountains, which are spread over the thousands of kilometres of area. Due to mountains shape that wind pushed upward, where air full of moisture gets coolled due to low pressure. Subsequently, cloud formation takes place and low pressure coolDowns the cloud this results in the rain at the top of the mountain.

Furthermore, the air that lost its moisture at top of the mountain continues to flow on the other side of the mountain towards downside, which is called dry air.Ultimately, dry air reaches the land area with no moist inside, this results in formation of rainso desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, identifying the key features such as wind movement, moisture loss, and the resulting desert formation. However, the summary is somewhat superficial. The description of the process is a bit disjointed, and it fails to clearly highlight the contrast between the 'wet' side of the mountain and the 'rain-shadow' side, which is the core of the task. While the main features are reported, the development is limited, and the overview provided in the second sentence is slightly inaccurate regarding the number of steps, as the diagram does not explicitly define seven distinct stages.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Subsequently', 'Furthermore', and 'Ultimately' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel forced. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'due to mountains shape that wind pushed upward', where the grammatical connection between the mountain and the wind is awkward. Overall, the information is presented in a logical sequence, but the cohesion lacks the flexibility required for a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'range shadow desert' (instead of rain-shadow), 'no moist inside', and 'rainso desert'. These errors, while not completely impeding communication, demonstrate a limited control over technical or descriptive vocabulary. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles to use more sophisticated terminology to describe the meteorological process effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include missing articles ('when winds form sea'), incorrect verb forms ('get coolled', 'coolDowns'), and awkward sentence construction ('due to mountains shape that wind pushed upward'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors is high enough to distract the reader and indicates a lack of control over complex structures.

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

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