Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11

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 illustrates the formation of rain-shadow desserts.

Overall, It depicts the process of formation how rain shadow desserts are transformed , it includes seven different stages, how the winds approach coasting and ends up with dry winds reached inland areas.

Initially the process begins with the wind carrying moisture from the sea and then pushing it upward, after that the temperature changed and clouds are formed and subsequently the rain falls start on the left side on the mountain.

Secondly, after the fifth stage when rain fall stopped here comes the dramatic decline in the temperature due to dry air in the mountain on the leeward side, moreover the arid waves reached to its final stage, inland areas and turned out as the rain-shadow dessert.

Finally, it clear that the mountain plays a vital role in the development of dessert either it is wet wind creation or a dry one because it is thousands of kilometres away from the sea cos

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a basic overview of the process, but it lacks precision in describing the stages. While the main features are identified, the description of the process is somewhat disjointed and contains factual inaccuracies regarding the stages (e.g., mentioning 'seven stages' when the diagram does not explicitly label them as such, and confusing the sequence of events). The conclusion is slightly off-topic, focusing on the distance from the sea rather than summarizing the core mechanism of the rain-shadow effect. To improve, ensure that the description follows the logical flow of the diagram more accurately and avoids adding external information not present in the source material.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical and sometimes confusing. The use of cohesive devices like 'Initially', 'Secondly', and 'Finally' is present, but they are not always used logically to connect the stages of the process. For example, the transition between the mountain's windward side and the leeward side is abrupt. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'after the fifth stage', which does not clearly relate to the provided diagram. Improving the logical progression and ensuring that cohesive devices are used to link related ideas more naturally would enhance the coherence of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but suffers from repetitive errors and spelling mistakes, most notably the misspelling of 'deserts' as 'desserts' throughout the text. While there is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'moisture', 'leeward', and 'arid', the misuse of words like 'coasting' and 'arid waves' limits the precision of the description. To reach a higher band, focus on accurate spelling and using collocations correctly. Expanding the range of vocabulary to describe the movement of air and the change in weather conditions would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'rain falls start'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'temperature changed'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'the process of formation how rain shadow desserts are transformed'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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