Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-10

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 chart illustrates the formation of rain-shadow barn areas.

In general, It is a step by step process of rain shadow desserts in deep.

The first and foremost step is that there is a air on the sea level and that air start approaching to coast. After that, winds touch the hills, it start moving upwards. in the next step, Moisturiser in the air start rising gradually and becoming cold. When the air getting cold, it start changing their position to upwards as well. That moisturised air changes into cloud forms. Clouds moving as the shape of mountain. On the top of the hill, it starts raining on the hill.

Moving towards the further steps, as the raining stops, the dry air continue to wave over the mountain. it waves in the leeward side. Seventh step is that dry winds reach to the ground area where the rain shadow desert place. This steps continues again and again repeatedly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation, such as the air movement from the sea, the ascent over the mountain, precipitation, and the resulting dry conditions on the leeward side. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear overview or summary of the process as a whole. The student identifies the steps but struggles to synthesize the information into a cohesive report, often relying on a simple list-like structure. While the main features are present, the lack of a clear introduction and a more sophisticated summary of the overall mechanism limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the logical flow is hindered by repetitive phrasing and basic transitions. Phrases like 'The first and foremost step', 'In the next step', and 'Moving towards the further steps' are used mechanically. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'it start moving upwards' where the antecedent is ambiguous. While the sequence of events is generally followable, the lack of variety in cohesive devices and the somewhat disjointed sentence structure prevent a higher score. The paragraphing is present but does not effectively group the stages of the process.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and contains several inaccuracies. For example, 'rain-shadow barn areas' is an incorrect term, and 'desserts' is a spelling error for 'deserts'. The student uses basic descriptors like 'getting cold' and 'changing their position' rather than more precise scientific terminology such as 'cools', 'condenses', or 'precipitates'. There is some attempt to use process-related language, but the word choice is often imprecise or inappropriate for an academic task. The repetition of words like 'air', 'step', and 'start' indicates a restricted range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage. Examples include 'there is a air', 'it start moving', and 'Moisturiser in the air start rising'. The sentence structures are predominantly simple, with limited use of complex sentences. When complex structures are attempted, they often contain errors, such as 'When the air getting cold, it start changing...'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas and incorrect capitalization. These errors occur throughout the text and occasionally impede the clarity of the process being described.

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