Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-27

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 displays how a rain-shadow desert a type of desert is formed through different stages.

Overall, the formation of rain-shadow desserts passes through several steps including wind approach coast, push upward, moist air, cloud forms, rain falls, moving continue over mountain before it reaches inland areas and make rain-shadow dessert.

To elaborate, on the one side of mountains called windward side, winds approach coast than pushed winds upwards, in next step it moist and cool the air rises than rain falls after cloud formation. After this, the other side of mountains start the leeward side, dry air continues over mountain after that dry winds reach inland areas and create a rain-shadow dessert on that land. The one side of mountain have sea where winds approach coast and the other side have a land and that mountains contains thousands of kilometres of land. The windward side have more steps than leeward side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, identifying the windward and leeward sides and the formation of the rain-shadow. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear, professional summary of the key features. While the main steps are mentioned, the explanation of the process is slightly disjointed, and the comparison between the two sides could be more analytical. The response meets the minimum length requirement, but the overall development of the information is basic. To improve, focus on grouping the stages more logically and using more precise terminology to describe the meteorological process shown in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. However, the progression of ideas is often mechanical and repetitive. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes inaccurate, such as the phrase 'in next step it moist and cool the air rises'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the sequence of events smoothly. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the body paragraph lacks the necessary flow to achieve a higher band. More varied linking words and better sentence-to-sentence transitions are needed to improve the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, with several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors. For example, 'push upward' and 'moving continue' are grammatically and lexically imprecise. The student relies heavily on simple, functional language rather than using more specific terminology related to geography or climate processes. There are also spelling errors, such as 'desserts' instead of 'deserts'. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise, topic-specific vocabulary and demonstrate a better understanding of collocations and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but these are frequently marred by grammatical errors. Issues include incorrect verb forms ('winds approach coast than pushed winds upwards'), missing articles, and subject-verb agreement errors ('The one side of mountain have sea'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, which occasionally hinders the clarity of the message. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors is high, preventing the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

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