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 describes the formation of rain-shadow desert through a number of processes.
Firstly the wind blows from the sea and approaches the coastal area near it. Further the air goes upward, from coast towards the top of mountain. When the wind reaches at the centre of hills the moist air become cool and travel upside to form clouds. After the formation of the clouds the rainfall start at the peak of mountains and dry air move from top of hills towards the leeward side of hills.
The inland area lies at the bottom of mountains. Dry air travel from leeward side and reaches at the inland. Due to the movement of dry wind rain-shadow desert formed in the inland.
Overall, multiple steps are involved in the formation of rain-shadow desert. These types of deserts are formed due to the movement of wind from sea towards coastal areas and than this air travel towards the top of mountains. After covering the distance of thousand kilometres the wind reaches at the inland and form rain-shadow desert.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main stages in the formation of a rain-shadow desert from the given diagram. The response covers the key geographical features and steps, such as winds approaching the coast, rising and cooling air, cloud formation, precipitation on the windward side, and dry air crossing the mountains to create the desert on the leeward side. An overview is also provided at the end. However, some minor details are slightly imprecise (e.g., placing rainfall specifically 'at the peak of mountains' rather than primarily the windward slope), and the explanation could be extended slightly further to fully maximise the description of spatial relationships. Overall, the response meets the requirements for a Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 based on the depth of coverage.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall arrangement and follows a logical chronological and spatial progression from the sea to the inland desert. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Further', 'After the formation of the clouds', and 'Overall' are used to connect ideas, though some transitional phrasing feels slightly mechanical or repetitive ('Dry air travel from leeward side and reaches at the inland'). Paragraphing is appropriately utilised to separate the introduction, the sequential body of steps, and the concluding overview. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional cohesion lapses occur due to awkward phrasing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms from the diagram such as 'coastal area', 'moist air', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'inland area'. However, there are notable word choice, form, and collocation errors, such as 'the rainfall start' instead of 'rainfall starts', 'become cool' instead of 'becomes cool', and 'rain-shadow desert formed' missing a passive auxiliary verb. Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision, keeping the performance within the Band 6 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, including 'the moist air become cool', 'travel upside' instead of 'upwards', 'reaches at the centre', and 'than this air travel'. Punctuation is also lacking in places, such as missing commas after introductory sequence markers like 'Firstly'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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