Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-11

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)

This diagram illustrates the formation of rain-shadow desert .It is completed in few steps .It begins when the winds approach the coast of the sea .The wind then moves to higher altitude . After that the humid air rises and its temperature decreases and become very low .It goes toward the windward side of the mountains . Then it results in the formation of a mass of clouds .These clouds then become the reason of the rain and rain starts falling down .The next step is the movement and the flow of the dry air over the surface of a huge mountains and moves towards the leeward side of the mountains .After this, dry winds approach the inland areas ,which are about thousands of kilometers away from the coast of the sea from where the wind started . The dry air flows along the decline slope of the mountains. It ultimately leads towards the rain shadow desert ,located at very large distance to the sea coast.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, from the initial moisture-laden winds to the formation of the rain-shadow desert. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview or summary of the process as a whole. The response would benefit from grouping the stages more logically rather than listing them sequentially. While the key features are identified, the lack of a clear introduction or concluding summary limits the development of the response. The information is accurate based on the diagram, but the presentation is quite basic and lacks the analytical tone expected for an Academic Task 1 report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of the process. There is a lack of paragraphing, which is essential for a clear structure. While the student uses basic cohesive devices like 'After that', 'Then', and 'The next step', these are used repetitively and mechanically. The flow of ideas is somewhat disjointed, and the lack of sophisticated linking words or varied referencing makes the text feel like a list of sentences rather than a cohesive report. Improved paragraphing and a wider variety of transition signals are needed to improve the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'become the reason of the rain' and 'starts falling down' are somewhat unnatural and lack precision. There is little attempt to use more academic or technical vocabulary related to meteorology or geography, such as 'precipitation', 'moisture-laden', or 'arid'. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is not sufficient to demonstrate flexibility or precision. To achieve a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'It is completed in few steps' (missing article), 'huge mountains' (plural/singular mismatch), and 'at very large distance to the sea coast' (preposition error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with spaces missing before periods. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of complex sentence structures and the frequency of basic grammatical errors prevent the response from reaching a higher band. The student should work on sentence variety and proofreading for basic articles and prepositions.

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