Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-24

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 picture illustrates the formation of one particular desert called rain-shadow desert.

Looking from an overall perspective, it is clearly evident that, the process begin from the wind approaches to the coast and culminates at dry wind reach to inland areas.

To commence with, at first winds from the sea approaches to the coast, then winds pushed upwards due to the mountains. Moreover, it turn to be moist air that are rises and cools towards windward side and later form clouds.

Following this, the dark black clouds starting rain at the top of the mountains. Nextly, dry air continues down over mountain to leeward side. Finally, dry winds reaches to inland area and the rain-shadow desert is formed. In addition, there is thousands of kilometres distance between the coast and the desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response provides a basic overview of the process, identifying the key stages from the sea to the inland desert. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the summary. While the main features are mentioned, the explanation lacks the necessary detail and development expected for an Academic Task 1 response. The description of the process is somewhat mechanical and fails to fully synthesize the information provided in the diagram. To improve, you should expand on the physical processes described, such as the specific temperature changes or the moisture levels at different stages, to ensure the response meets the length requirement and provides a more comprehensive overview.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical, such as the frequent use of 'Following this', 'Nextly', and 'Finally'. 'Nextly' is not standard English. The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to improve the flow. The paragraphing is appropriate for the task, but the overall structure feels a bit disjointed due to the limited vocabulary and simple sentence structures used to connect the stages of the process.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'winds from the sea approaches' and 'turn to be moist air' show limited control over collocations and grammatical accuracy. There is a lack of precise terminology related to meteorological processes, such as 'orographic lift' or 'precipitation'. To achieve a higher band score, you should aim to use more varied and precise vocabulary to describe the movement of air and the formation of weather patterns. For example, instead of 'form clouds', you could use 'condense into clouds' or 'cloud formation occurs'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the process begin' (subject-verb agreement), 'winds pushed upwards' (missing auxiliary verb), and 'dry winds reaches' (subject-verb agreement). The sentence structure is often repetitive, relying heavily on simple clauses. To improve, you should focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and using a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses or passive voice, which are particularly useful for describing scientific processes in Task 1.

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

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