Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-06

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 diagram displays how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed. The journey starts from sea and ends to the formation of the rain-shadow deserts.

It is clear that in the beginning of the stage wind approaches to the coast from the sea and wind is pushed upwards towards the heights of the mountain. At the third stage moist air rises and cools down as it move towards the peak of the mountain and eventually it results into the formation of the cloud.

At the next stage when the cloud is at the peak of its mountain the rainfall starts and the dry air continues over the mountain down at the leewards side. Finally dry winds reach inland areas to form the rain-shadow desert.

In Conclusion, the journey of the wind from sea to the formation of the rain-shadow desert is of thousands of kilometers. On the contrary it is really wounderful that how the winds is responsible for the formation of rain-shadow

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, from the initial moisture-laden wind to the final arid conditions. However, the description is somewhat simplistic and lacks a clear overview or summary of the key features as required by the task. While the sequence is logical, the explanation of the process could be more detailed, particularly regarding the transition between the windward and leeward sides of the mountain. The conclusion is slightly redundant and does not add significant value to the summary of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. Cohesive devices such as 'At the next stage', 'In conclusion', and 'On the contrary' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'the journey of the wind' which is a bit abstract for a technical process description. Overall, the information is arranged coherently, but the flow could be improved with more varied linking phrases.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'moist air', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas' used correctly. However, there are some awkward word choices, such as 'wounderful' (spelling error) and 'the journey starts from sea', which sounds unnatural. The range is somewhat limited, and the student relies on basic descriptive language rather than more precise scientific terminology that would be expected in an academic report. Improving the variety of verbs and adjectives would help elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'wind approaches to the coast' (incorrect preposition), 'it results into' (incorrect collocation), and 'how the winds is responsible' (subject-verb agreement error). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the process, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and more accurate use of prepositions and articles.

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

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