Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-19

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 illustrates the formation of rain-shadow deserts covering thousands of kilometres attain seven stages. Overall, at initial stage the winds reaches the coastal area from sea while culminates in the production of rain-shadow desert.

To begin, at start winds from the sea approaches to the coastal area from the sea leading to the second step in which wind is levelled upward throughout the mountains. Furthermore, as wind moves up, it results in moist air to rise and then cools passing towards windward side. Moist air containing small particles which contributes to develop clouds which leads to rain occur due to condensation of water vapours at the peak of mountains.

Moreover, dry air blow over mountains towards leeward side which reaches to the inland in the form of minute particles. At the seventh stage the dry winds gets to the inland area passing from sea through mountain to the inland leads to the formation of rain-shadow desert. Whereas, the distance between coastal area and rain-shadow desert is not only few kilometres it ranges to thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, but the description is somewhat disjointed and lacks clarity in explaining the causal links between the stages. While you identify the movement from the sea to the inland, the explanation of the 'rain-shadow' effect itself—the cooling of air and the resulting precipitation—is slightly confused. For instance, the phrase 'wind is levelled upward' is unclear, and the explanation of how the rain-shadow desert is actually formed (the lack of moisture on the leeward side) could be more precisely articulated. The overview is present but lacks a clear summary of the key transition points in the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical flow between sentences is often interrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical use of cohesive devices. For example, 'To begin, at start' is redundant, and the transition 'Whereas' at the end of the final paragraph is used incorrectly, as it does not contrast with the previous sentence. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when describing the movement of air across the mountains. The progression of ideas feels a bit repetitive, particularly in the final paragraph where the process is restated rather than concluded.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate to convey the basic meaning, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations. Phrases like 'wind is levelled upward' and 'rain occur' are grammatically and lexically inaccurate. You attempt to use technical terms like 'condensation' and 'leeward side,' which is good, but these are often surrounded by simpler or incorrectly used language. There is also some repetition of basic words like 'winds,' 'sea,' and 'inland,' which limits the range of your vocabulary. Greater attention to precise terminology and natural collocations would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'winds reaches,' 'dry winds gets'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'attain seven stages'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure often feels forced or unnatural. While you attempt complex sentences, they are frequently marred by errors in tense or word order, which prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence accuracy will help improve your clarity.

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

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