Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 sequential stages involved in the formation of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the process comprises seven distinct steps, beggining with the winds approaches coast coming from the sea and culminating in the final stage of drayed winds which reach at inland areas of desert, along thousands of kilometers throughout the mountain.

In the initial stage, the winds approach coast came from the sea water and pushed the air in upword direction towords the clouds. Subsequentlly, the moist air rises upword, where it cooled down in order to the formation of the clouds.

Once this stage is completed, the cloud formed at windward side which undergoes a further process of rain falls. At this point, the rain fall at the top of the mountain. Following a period of drying, the air dry continues over mountain at leeward side. At the filal stage, the dry winds reached at inland areas where the rain-shadow desert formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the rain-shadow desert formation diagram, tracking the process sequentially from the sea to inland areas. The overview correctly identifies seven distinct steps, and the body paragraphs attempt to report the key stages such as moisture-bearing winds rising, cloud formation, precipitation on the windward side, and dry winds descending on the leeward side to create the desert. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise and some key relationships between altitude, condensation, and rain shadow effects lack full precision. While all parts of the task are addressed, the depth of reporting is slightly basic, placing this response at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is arranged with a clear overall progression, moving from an introductory sentence and overview into sequential body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to signal stages in the process, such as 'In the initial stage', 'Subsequentlly', and 'Once this stage is completed'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in awkward transitions like 'Following a period of drying, the air dry continues'. Paragraphing is attempted, though the final body paragraph groups too many disparate steps together without sufficient structural division. Overall cohesion is functional but lacks the flexibility required for higher bands, justifying a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'sequential stages', 'moist air', 'windward side', and 'leeward side'. However, there are numerous noticeable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'beggining', 'drayed', 'upword', 'Subsequentlly', and 'filal'. Less common items are attempted with varying degrees of success, and these lexical inaccuracies occasionally strain the reader's comprehension. Because the range is adequate to convey the core message despite these frequent errors, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and adverbial time markers. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors such as 'winds approaches coast coming from the sea', 'the winds approach coast came from the sea water and pushed the air in upword direction', and 'where the rain-shadow desert formed'. Preposition and verb tense errors are common, such as 'which reach at inland areas' and 'the rain fall at the top'. Because these errors frequently cause difficulty for the reader and accurate complex structures are limited, the response achieves a Band 5.0.

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

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