Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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 data shows the formation of a specific type of desert called rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it is a seven step process. which can stretch to thousands of kilometres. Starting with the winds approaching the coast and moving upward , seperating the dry and moist air and finally ends when the dry winds reach the ground. This process takes a lot of time

The first process for this formation starts when the strong wind approaches from the sea to the coast and pushed upward because of the mountains. When the winds moves up , the moist air cools down which results in the formation of clouds. After the formation rain in released from them

The remaining dry air from the winds continues over the other side of the mountains. Eventually they reach the inland area along with the rain from the clouds and results in what is called rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, covering the sequence from winds approaching the coast to reaching inland areas. An overview is attempted at the beginning, noting the seven-step process and the horizontal scale of thousands of kilometres. However, some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly expressed, such as stating the process 'seperating the dry and moist air' or claiming that rain reaches the inland area alongside dry winds, which contradicts the concept of a rain-shadow desert. Because the key features are generally outlined and the visual data is mostly interpreted correctly, the response achieves a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into an introduction and three body paragraphs, showing an overall logical progression from the sea to the inland area. However, there are significant punctuation and cohesion issues, most notably a sentence fragment right at the beginning ('Overall, it is a seven step process. which can stretch to thousands of kilometres.'). Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader ('The first process', 'After the formation', 'Eventually'), but referencing and linking are sometimes mechanical or faulty. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion lacks smooth transitions, justifying a Band 5.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to describe the diagram, successfully using terms like 'coast', 'moist air', 'clouds', 'mountains', and 'inland area'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('seperating') and word-formation/collocation inaccuracies (e.g., 'rain in released from them' instead of 'rain is released'). Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision. The vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task, fitting the Band 5.5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the strong wind approaches... and pushed upward') and punctuation errors like sentence fragments. Furthermore, missing articles and preposition errors occur throughout the text (e.g., 'reach the ground', 'After the formation rain in released'). While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of errors prevents the score from reaching Band 6.0, placing it securely at Band 5.5.

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

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