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 represents how the rain-shadow desert is formed. The sea, mountains and wind play a major role in its formation. The water drops pass through different stages, starting from the sea and ending up in the desert forming rain-shadow desert. Initially, the winds approach the coast and push the water drops upwards. Moist air rises and cools as it reaches the top, and right after it reaches the windward, the water drops combine and form clouds. At the top of the mountain, it starts raining due to high altitude and low temperature. This process takes a lot of time because the mountains are thousands of kilometers wide and are of high altitude. The dry air continues over the mountain and carries the rain drops across Leeward side. Finally, the dry winds reach inland areas and form a Rain-shadow desert. In this desert, the rain drops are captured underground and are scattered across the land.

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 sea to the inland desert. However, the description is somewhat simplistic and lacks a clear overview or summary of the process as a whole. While the sequence is logical, the explanation of the scientific mechanism is slightly inaccurate in places (e.g., the mention of 'water drops' being pushed upwards rather than moist air). The response would benefit from a more precise summary of the key stages and a clearer distinction between the windward and leeward sides of the mountain range to better highlight the contrast in conditions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is organized in a logical, chronological sequence, which helps the reader follow the process. However, the paragraphing is non-existent; the entire response is a single block of text, which negatively impacts the overall structure. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Initially', 'Finally'), the flow is somewhat mechanical. To improve, you should group related ideas into distinct paragraphs—for instance, one for the ascent/windward side and one for the descent/leeward side—and use a wider variety of linking phrases to connect the stages more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks precision. Phrases like 'water drops' are used repeatedly where more specific terms like 'moisture', 'water vapor', or 'precipitation' would be more appropriate for an academic description. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'windward' and 'leeward', which is positive. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise scientific terminology and avoiding the repetition of basic nouns and verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'forming rain-shadow desert' (missing an article) and 'carries the rain drops across Leeward side' (missing an article). The sentence structure is functional but lacks the variety and sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on correct article usage and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve the accuracy of your writing. The punctuation is generally correct, but the lack of paragraphing limits the overall grammatical presentation.

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