Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 a rain-shadow desert, a type of desert.

Overall, there are seven steps involved in forming a rain-shadow desert. firstly, the winds approaches the coast leading to production of rain. Afterwards, the dry air reaches the land.

To begin with, the wind from the surrounding approaches the coast, pushing upwards which causes moist air rising and cools the atmosphere. This results in to formation of clouds at the windward side.

At the tip of the mountain, rain began to fell closely followed by dry air continues over the leeward side of the mountain. Lastly, the dry wind reaches the surface, inland area resulting in rain shadow desert being generated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response outlines the main stages in the formation of a rain-shadow desert, from the initial winds approaching the coast up to the dry winds reaching inland areas. An overview is provided stating that there are seven steps. However, the response is critically under-length at 114 words, failing to meet the 150-word minimum requirement. Furthermore, some details are slightly inaccurate or oversimplified, such as 'rain began to fell' and missing certain specific interactions like the leeward side descent. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a basic logical organisation with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Paragraphing is attempted, although the divisions are somewhat fragmented. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'At the tip of the mountain', and 'Lastly' are used to sequence the stages, but referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or faulty, as seen in 'This results in to formation of clouds'. Progression is visible, yet cohesion requires better control.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, incorporating topic-specific terms like 'coast', 'moist air', 'clouds', 'leeward side', and 'rain shadow desert'. However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'winds approaches' and 'rain began to fell' (instead of 'fall'). The range is somewhat limited and repetitive, reflecting a basic attempt at less common lexical items with frequent minor inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'the winds approaches the coast leading to production of rain'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring multiple errors including subject-verb agreement issues ('winds approaches'), incorrect verb forms ('moist air rising and cools'), and preposition misuse ('results in to formation'). These errors occasionally disrupt the flow, but communication of the overall process remains largely intact.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.