Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30

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 provided diagram shows the process involve in the formation of rain-shadow deserts.

The process starts with the winds that approaches the coast land area from the sea. Due to the availability of mountains in between there path, the blowing wind changes its path and moves towards upward direction. The air that reaches few altitudes above the ground level and is cooled due to low temperature and the formation of clouds takes place near windward side of the mountains.

A heavy rain fall is seen on the top areas of mountains but that dry air continues to move over the mountains. It crosses the leeward side of the mountains and again reaches at the inland areas after it crosses the whole mountains. The area the wind reaches after crossing the mountain is the area that is called Rain-shadow desert located thousands of kilometer away from the sea. The wind plays a significant role in the formation of the desert.

In conclusion, the whole process of the formation of Rain-shadow desert depends on the wind that is blown by the sea.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the diagram, identifying the key stages of the rain-shadow effect: moisture-laden winds, mountain obstruction, orographic lift, precipitation on the windward side, and the resulting dry conditions on the leeward side. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear overview or summary of the process as a whole. While the main features are present, the explanation of the 'rain-shadow' concept could be more precise, and the comparison between the windward and leeward sides could be more explicitly contrasted to better highlight the mechanism of the desert's formation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from the start of the process to the final outcome. Cohesive devices such as 'The process starts with', 'Due to', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical, and there is a lack of variety in linking phrases. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences occasionally feels disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the sequence of events could be linked more fluidly to show cause and effect.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'orographic', 'windward', and 'leeward' would have significantly improved the score, but the student relies on simpler descriptions such as 'upward direction' and 'top areas'. There are some inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'winds that approaches' (should be 'approach') and 'reaches at the inland areas' (should be 'reaches inland areas'). The range is sufficient to convey the meaning, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('winds that approaches', 'wind that is blown') and prepositional errors ('reaches at the inland areas'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Punctuation is generally correct, but the control over complex sentence structures is inconsistent.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.