Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-22

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 illustrates the step-by-step procedure of single type of desert, called as a rain shadow desert, and how it is generated.

Overall, this process consists of seven stages, starting with the winds approaching underground the sea level of mountains and ending up with the dry winds reached inland areas under the depth of rain-shadow desert created.

To begin with, the first stage of the deserts through approaching coast under the seal level. In the next step the winds pushed upwards direction surrounding the mountains. Furthermore, the third stage the procedure goes into the temperature moist air rises and cools throughout the process. In the upcoming step, the moist air converted into clouds formation in windward side laying on the mountains and distributes rapidly. Moreover, the fifth stage rain falling happened significantly, and goes into dry air continues over the mountain via leeward side downward over the mountains. Ultimately, the dry winds reached gradually inland areas under-depth of mountains, in this way the rain shadow desert formed.

Although, the method contributes the seven stages throughout the whole process and finalise with the rain shadow desert established.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview of the process, identifying the main stages of rain-shadow desert formation. You have successfully selected the key features, such as the moist air rising, cloud formation, and the leeward side effect. However, the description of the stages is sometimes inaccurate or confusing, such as the reference to 'underground the sea level' and 'under-depth of mountains,' which misrepresents the geographical concepts shown in the diagram. While you have addressed all parts of the task, the lack of precision in describing the scientific process limits the development of the ideas. To improve, focus on using more accurate terminology to describe geographical features and processes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of the process. You use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'In the next step,' 'Furthermore,' and 'Moreover' to link your ideas. However, some of these transitions feel mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the concluding paragraph where the sentence structure is fragmented. The flow between sentences is generally coherent, but the internal logic of some sentences is hindered by awkward phrasing, which slightly disrupts the overall progression of the explanation.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have attempted to use a range of vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'moist air,' 'windward side,' and 'leeward side.' However, there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation that impede clarity, such as 'approaching underground the sea level' and 'rain falling happened significantly.' These inaccuracies suggest a limited control over technical vocabulary. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of precision in word usage prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on learning the correct collocations for geographical processes will significantly improve your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'the moist air converted into clouds formation'), missing articles, and awkward prepositional phrases (e.g., 'under-depth of mountains'). While these errors do not completely prevent communication, they occur frequently enough to cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, you should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice, which is essential for describing scientific processes, rather than relying on active constructions that often lead to errors.

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

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