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 foramtion of rain shadow in deserts areas.

Overall, the process consists of seven stage. It begins with when winds approaching coast area through sea and ends with dry winds reached inland areas that called rain-shadow desert. This process include five elements of earth such as water, heat, air, mountains and land area.

Firstly, the process begin with when winds approached coast area from sea and then winds pushed upwards parallel to the windward side of the mountain and goes towards the top of the mountain. Afterwards, the moist air rised and cool down in atmosphere and start forming the clouds in the fourth step. Following this, the rain started falling on the peak of the mountain.

In the next step, the dry air continues over mountain downwards parallel to leeward side of mountain because of previous steps rain falls.Finally, the dry winds reached inland areas and start creating rain-shadow in desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all parts of the diagram, successfully summarising the seven stages of rain-shadow desert formation. An overview is provided, noting the seven stages, the starting and ending points, and key geographical elements. The main features—such as moist air rising on the windward side, cooling to form clouds and rain, and dry air descending on the leeward side to create a desert inland—are clearly reported. While the description is somewhat basic and relies heavily on the exact labels provided in the prompt, it adequately addresses all requirements of Task 1 without omitting major steps, matching the criteria for a band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently, with an introduction containing an overview and two body paragraphs detailing the sequential steps. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Afterwards', 'Following this', and 'In the next step' are used to guide the reader through the process, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction and overview from the sequential stages of the diagram. Referencing is generally clear, though minor improvements in linking phrases would enhance the overall flow, placing this text comfortably at a band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some subject-specific terminology from the prompt such as 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'rain-shadow desert'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('foramtion', 'stage' instead of stages) and awkward word choices ('reached inland areas that called rain-shadow desert' and 'this process include five elements'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with occasional inaccuracy, which places lexical control firmly at band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several tense and morphological errors throughout the text, such as 'winds approaching' instead of 'winds approach', 'winds reached' instead of 'winds reach', 'moist air rised and cool down', and 'rain started falling'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent tense shifts and awkward verb forms detract from the overall accuracy, limiting the grammar score to a band 5.5.

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

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