Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-15

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 given illustration presents the formation of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it is evident that formation of the desert consists of seven stages, beginning with winds approaching the coast and ending with dry winds reaching inland areas.

Initially, it is seen that sea and desert have thousands of kilometers distance. Sea is located near mountains and besides that lower layer of mountain has coast. In the beginning winds approach the coast and start travelling in an upwards direction in mountain's windward side. As soon as moist air rises it becomes cooler and convert in to clouds form. Once the clouds form, rain drops start falling on left side of mountains.

On the other side of mountain that's called Leeward side, dry air continues over mountain and keep travelling until its reach to inlands areas. The Inland area is dusty and dry where the rain- shadow is form after the process starts from sea side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview of the process, identifying the main stages from the initial moisture-laden winds to the formation of the rain-shadow desert. However, the description lacks precision in reporting the specific features of the diagram. For instance, the mention of 'thousands of kilometers distance' is not supported by the visual data, and the explanation of the 'seven stages' is not clearly delineated in the text. While the main features are covered, the response would benefit from more accurate referencing of the specific labels and physical changes depicted in the diagram to better support the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an introduction to the process description. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Initially', 'As soon as', and 'On the other side', which help guide the reader through the sequence. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'besides that lower layer of mountain has coast'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the connection between the sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the process of desert formation. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary like 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'moist air'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'convert in to clouds form' instead of 'condense into clouds' and 'rain-shadow is form' instead of 'rain-shadow is formed'. These errors do not impede communication but limit the precision of the description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the sea', 'the mountain'), verb forms ('convert in to', 'rain-shadow is form'), and subject-verb agreement ('rain drops start falling'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of these minor errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. The student should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and article usage.

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

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