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 given picture highlights the stages in the making of rain-shadow deserts which is a type of a desert.

Overall, the process has mainly seven stages starting from the winds reaching the base of mountains, their moisture condensing and resulting in rain. Finally, there is just dry wind reaching the other side of mountain.

As, the wind reaches the mountains it moves up the mountain on the windward side. The moist air rises and gets cooled. The condensed moisture forms the clouds, resulting in rainfall at the top of the mountain.

After the rain falls, the rest of the air after leaving it's moisture is dry. The dry air moves down the mountain on leeward side, finally reaching down to the base and goes to the inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student identifies the main process depicted in the diagram, covering the primary stages from the winds approaching the coast, rising and cooling, to the creation of clouds, rainfall, and finally dry air descending on the leeward side to form a rain-shadow desert. However, the response fails to reach the required minimum length of 150 words, standing at only 128 words. Consequently, the development is somewhat truncated and lacks full elaboration of all features, such as the horizontal scale ('Thousands of kilometres') and specific directional elements. Due to the under-length penalty and incomplete coverage of all visual details, the score reflects limited development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is structured into four distinct paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs describing the process steps. There is a clear overall progression from the beginning of the process near the sea to the inland desert. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Finally', 'As', and 'After' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or basic (e.g., repeating 'After the rain falls, the rest of the air after...'). Paragraphing is appropriately applied to separate the different phases of the diagram, supporting a coherent reading experience overall.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for describing a geographical process, incorporating subject-specific terms such as 'moisture', 'condensing', 'rainfall', 'windward side', and 'leeward side'. However, there are some awkward word choices and phrasing, such as 'in the making of' instead of 'illustrating the formation of', and a redundancy in 'after leaving it's moisture' (where 'it's' is also grammatically incorrect). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, preventing the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'As, the wind reaches the mountains it moves up...' (which contains an unnecessary comma and minor punctuation clumsiness). There are several grammatical errors, including the possessive error 'it's' instead of 'its' and a comma splice or awkward separation in 'Finally, there is just dry wind reaching the other side of mountain.' Despite these errors, meaning is generally communicated without severe impedance, allowing the reader to follow the sequential explanation of the diagram.

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

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