Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-18

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 depicts information about the formation of a rain- shadow desert. The major stages for rain-shadow desert formation are clouds formation, rain falls, and dry winds reach inland areas.

It can be seen from the diagram that firstly, winds approaches to sea-coast, where these winds push upwards on the mountains. secondly, the air become more moist and get cool at windward side of mountain. Additionally, this step leads to formation of clouds. Furthermore, on fifth stage rain falls on the mountain's top, this stage leads to formation of dry air. Moreover, this dry air continues over mountain at leeward side in downward direction. Consequently, dry wind reach at inland areas. Lastly, the formation of a rain- shadow deserts become complete.

This whole procedure occurs across thousands of kilometers of mountains. However, it passes from several stages, starts from sea and ends up with the formation of rain- shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, identifying the movement of air, cloud formation, and the resulting dry conditions. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and relies heavily on listing steps rather than providing a cohesive summary of the process. While the key features are present, the explanation of the 'windward' and 'leeward' sides could be more clearly integrated to show the contrast in precipitation. The response meets the minimum length requirement, but the analysis lacks the depth required for a higher band score, as it reads more like a list of labels from the diagram rather than a synthesized report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is appropriate for a short report. The use of cohesive devices such as 'firstly', 'secondly', 'additionally', and 'consequently' helps to guide the reader through the stages. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is weak, as the final paragraph adds little new information and feels somewhat repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is occasionally stilted due to the repetitive structure of the sentences, which limits the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using subject-specific terms like 'windward', 'leeward', and 'inland areas'. However, the range is limited, and there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'winds approaches to sea-coast' (should be 'winds approach the coast') and 'the formation of a rain-shadow deserts become complete' (should be 'the formation... is complete'). There is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated phrasing, which keeps the score in the mid-range. Spelling is generally accurate, but the phrasing lacks the precision expected at higher levels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('winds approaches', 'air become', 'dry wind reach') and incorrect article usage ('the formation of a rain-shadow deserts'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, the student needs to focus on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as well as varying sentence structure to avoid repetitive patterns.

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

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