Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 natural atmospheric process by which a rain- shadow desert is produced.

Overall, the formation of a rain-shadow desert consists of seven main events. Moist air from the sea travelling towards the mountains, because of the mountains barriers changes course of movement along the steep slope of the mountain results in cloud formation, rain falls on the windward side and dry air descends towards the leeward side to the inland areas. Moist air travels thousands of kilometers throughout the process.

The process starts with moist air from the sea side travels towards mountains. Air moves upward, As the air rises, causing it be cool and condense leading to formation of clouds. As there is subsequent increase in clouds, precipitation occurs which causes rain on the windward side of the mountains. After that, the dry air rises towards the summit and crosses the mountains.

The dry air later on descends the leeward side with no moisture. This dry air renders the place to be arid, As the air travels thousands of kilometres inland areas. Eventually, the air with no rain and moisture leads to formation of the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully provides an overview of the diagram illustrating the formation of a rain-shadow desert, covering the main stages from moist air travelling from the sea to the creation of the arid region. The overall trend and sequence of events are outlined in the introduction and overview paragraph. However, the development of some details is slightly disjointed, and the description of specific scientific mechanisms, such as cooling, condensation, and precipitation, could be more fully integrated. While all parts of the task are addressed, the mechanical listing of steps prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of Task 1 by reporting the main features and making logical connections between the stages.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overall summary, and subsequent body paragraphs that trace the sequence of the diagram. Cohesive devices are employed to signal progression, such as 'The process starts with', 'After that', and 'The dry air later on'. However, referencing and transitions are at times a bit mechanical and clunky, as seen in sentences like 'Moist air from the sea travelling towards the mountains, because of the mountains barriers changes course...'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the overview and the sequential details, but the logical flow between sentences occasionally stumbles due to awkward phrasing and punctuation issues.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a scientific process, incorporating terms such as 'precipitation', 'windward side', 'leeward side', 'arid', and 'condense'. However, there are noticeable lexical and collocational inaccuracies that reveal limitation, such as 'because of the mountains barriers changes course of movement' and 'renders the place to be arid'. Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice errors and awkward phrasing prevent the vocabulary from achieving the flexibility and precision associated with Band 7. Nevertheless, the leerd-range used is sufficient to communicate the main steps of the graphical information clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating participial phrases and dependent clauses, such as 'As the air rises, causing it be cool and condense leading to formation of clouds.' However, grammatical control is inconsistent, resulting in several noticeable errors, including missing auxiliary verbs ('causing it be cool'), awkward subordination, and run-on structures. Punctuation errors, such as unnecessary comma splices ('As the air travels thousands of kilometres inland areas, Eventually, the air...'), also detract from the quality of the writing. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they reflect the characteristics of Band 5 where complex structures are frequently faulty.

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

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