Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-31

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 process diagram illustrates the stages of rain-shadow desert formation.

Overall, it can be noticeable that it takes seven steps to form the landscape. The process begins with the wind approaches the coast and ends with dry wind reaching to the inland areas.

To commence with the set up of the desert. Firstly, the huge mountain is situated in the center which areas is expanded in thousands of kilometers. On the one side, the ocean is located and the other side the inland areas. Process starts with the step one where the wind approaches coast from the ocean side. Second step is where wind starts rising toward the mountain peak and from that, the moist air would cools down at some point. In the following stage, the process of cloud formation takes place. Later, the rain fall occurs on the windward side.

On the other hand, on the Leeward side, the remaining dry wind continues and in the last stage the dry air reaches the inland areas. Due to lack of rain and moist air, rain-shadow desert would be created.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main features of the process, covering the progression from the ocean to the inland areas. You have clearly outlined the stages of moisture loss and the resulting rain-shadow effect. However, the overview is slightly mechanical, focusing on the number of steps rather than the core scientific process. To reach a higher band, ensure the overview synthesizes the information more effectively, highlighting the contrast between the windward and leeward sides as the primary mechanism. The description of the mountain as 'thousands of kilometers' is an unnecessary detail not supported by the diagram, which could be considered an over-generalization.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression from the start of the process to the end. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In the following stage', and 'On the other hand' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit forced or repetitive, such as 'To commence with the set up of the desert'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'from that' and 'the huge mountain is situated in the center which areas is expanded', which disrupts the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'moist air', 'windward side', and 'leeward side' correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'set up of the desert' (which is not appropriate for a natural process) and 'wind approaches coast' (missing an article). The phrasing 'which areas is expanded' is also awkward. To improve, focus on using more precise scientific terminology and ensuring that your word choices are natural and grammatically sound within the context of a process description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the wind approaches the coast'), subject-verb agreement ('moist air would cools down'), and sentence construction ('the huge mountain is situated in the center which areas is expanded'). These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To improve, focus on basic sentence structure and ensure that verbs and articles are used consistently and correctly.

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

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