Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-26

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 diagram illustrates that how rain-shadow deserts are formed. This complicated process is completed in seven several steps which are followed by: wind approaching coast, wind pushing upwards, moist air rising and cooling, clouds formation, rain falling, dry air continues and dry wind reaching. The mountain is spread on the area of thousands of kilometers under the depth of ground.

First of all, from the surface of sea the winds are approached the coast then these winds are pushed in upward direction along the mountain. After that, the wet air is raised and cooled in the Windward side. In this way, clouds are formed and the rain is started to fall, it is happening on the top of the mountain.

Moreover, the dry air is continued over the mountain and at last, from the Leeward side, the dry winds are reached in the inland areas. Finally, the rain shadow desert is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, identifying the key steps from the wind approaching the coast to the formation of the desert. However, the description is somewhat mechanical, simply listing the steps provided in the prompt rather than synthesizing the information into a cohesive summary. The statement that the mountain is 'spread on the area of thousands of kilometers under the depth of ground' is an inaccurate interpretation of the diagram, which detracts from the overall accuracy of the report. To reach a higher band, you should focus on describing the relationship between the stages rather than just listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three short paragraphs, which provides a basic structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'After that', and 'Moreover' to signal the progression of the process. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally repetitive, and the referencing is sometimes mechanical. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is clear, but the overall progression could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to connect the causal relationships between the air cooling, cloud formation, and the resulting rain-shadow effect.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic verbs like 'approached', 'pushed', and 'started to fall'. There is some attempt to use technical terms like 'Windward side' and 'Leeward side', which is positive. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'winds are approached the coast' (passive voice error) and 'dry winds are reached', which affect the naturalness of the writing. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and ensuring correct word choice would significantly improve your 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 that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'illustrates that how' is redundant, and 'winds are approached' is an incorrect use of the passive voice. You also have issues with verb tense and voice consistency, such as 'the rain is started to fall' and 'dry winds are reached'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors in basic sentence construction prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and active versus passive voice.

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

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