Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-09

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 the formation of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the significant changes are seen in the formation of the desert, where wind from sea approaches the coast, following the drying of the wind.

Thousands of kilometers of area is covered by mountains. Wind from the sea approaches the coast which is then pushed upwards. The moist air rises and cools as it covers the distance towards the peak of the mountain. The air is then passed through the clouds which are formed at the windward side of the top. By the process of evaporation clouds are filled with water, rain showers at the top which is already covered with snow.

Furthermore, the air becomes dry and it continues and move over the mountain, crossing the leeward side moving downwards towards the inland area. The inland is the area from where the rain-shadow desert starts. And that is how moist air is converted into dry wind.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, from the wind approaching the coast to the formation of the rain-shadow desert. However, the description is somewhat superficial and lacks precision in explaining the scientific mechanism. For instance, the mention of 'thousands of kilometers of area' is vague and does not accurately reflect the diagram's focus on the mountain range. The explanation of the process is slightly disjointed, and the connection between the 'windward' and 'leeward' sides could be more clearly articulated to show a better grasp of the causal relationship between the mountain barrier and the resulting desert.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into three short paragraphs, which provides a basic structure. While there is a logical progression from the sea to the inland area, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition 'Furthermore' is used, but the flow between sentences is sometimes abrupt, such as the sudden shift to discussing the 'inland area'. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall paragraphing could be improved to better group the stages of the process (e.g., moisture collection vs. the rain-shadow effect).

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. Terms like 'significant changes' and 'process of evaporation' are used, but some phrasing is unnatural, such as 'following the drying of the wind' or 'clouds are filled with water'. There is an attempt to use technical terms like 'windward' and 'leeward', which is positive, but the overall range is limited. More precise verbs and nouns related to meteorological processes would enhance the quality of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies that occasionally hinder clarity. For example, 'The diagram illustrates the formation of rain-shadow desert' is missing an article, and 'rain showers at the top' is grammatically incomplete. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'continues and move over'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score in this criterion.

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

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