Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-13

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 figure provided illustrating the formation of rain shadow desert, from sea side to rain-shadow desert across thousands of kilometers.

Overall, the processes entail 7 steps, starting form moist-winds reach the coast and the clouds forming in the windward side to end up being the dry winds in rain-shadow desert areas.

To begin with, a moist-wind from the sea approaches the mountain, and it is forced to push upwards. Due to higher altitude and its expansion, air rises and cools down; thus, those airs foster the clouds formation. If the water vapor is dense enough, it will lead to rain fall.

In the leeward side, dry air goes down form the peak of mountain, and continuously flows over the mountain. Ultimately, dry winds form the mountain reach the ground, which foster dry winds to influence dry weather, and help the inland areas to remain dry and keep their desert environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the diagram, identifying the transition from moist winds at the coast to the formation of a rain-shadow desert. However, the description is somewhat superficial. While the process is outlined, the connection between the altitude, cooling, and precipitation is a bit repetitive. The overview is functional but could be more precise in highlighting the contrast between the windward and leeward sides. To reach a higher band, ensure that the relationship between the mountain's physical barrier and the resulting climatic change is explained with more analytical depth rather than just listing the steps.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an introduction to the process description. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Due to', and 'Ultimately' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'those airs' which is not standard English. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to connect the stages of the cycle more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'moist-winds', 'windward', 'leeward', and 'water vapor'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'moist-winds reach the coast' (should be 'moist winds') and 'foster the clouds formation' (should be 'foster cloud formation'). The term 'those airs' is also non-standard. While the student demonstrates an attempt to use technical terminology, the control over collocations and pluralization is inconsistent, which limits the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the formation of rain shadow desert') and pluralization ('moist-winds', 'rain fall'). Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'dry winds form the mountain reach the ground, which foster dry winds to influence dry weather'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage would improve the accuracy significantly.

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

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