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 diagram illustrates the formation of a type of desert known as rain-shadow desert. Overall, it is a linear process which starts at the sea level becoming dry winds that reach the inland areas thousand of kilometers away from the sea.

Firstly, gustly winds approaches the coast line where it is pushed in an upward direction towards the moutain top. As it rises, the wind becomes moist and starts cooling on the windward side of the moutain. Due to this clouds, are formed and rainfall starts at the top of the mountain. The dry air which climbed from the sea continues over the mountain and starts going downward reaching the leeward side of the mountain. The wind continues to move downward where it finally reaches the inland areas. This phenomenon where the winds from the sea reaches the inland area is called the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies the main features of the rain-shadow desert formation process, covering the stages from winds approaching the coast, rising over the mountains, cooling, producing rain, and finally resulting in dry air and desert conditions inland. However, there is a slight misconception at the end, where the student states that the phenomenon itself is called the rain-shadow desert, rather than the desert being the result of the phenomenon. Furthermore, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing 145 words. This under-length penalty prevents the score from reaching a higher band, reflecting an incomplete task execution.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text presents an overall logical progression, guiding the reader through the stages of the diagram from left to right. Paragraphing is attempted, with an introductory overview followed by a body paragraph detailing the process. However, transitional and cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical ('Firstly', 'As it rises', 'The dry air which climbed...'), and referencing is occasionally slightly imprecise or awkward. Overall, the organisation is coherent enough to follow the sequence of the diagram easily, meeting the descriptors for a solid band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with attempts to incorporate less common process-related terms such as 'phenomenon', 'upward direction', and 'leeward side'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'gustly winds' instead of 'gusty winds', 'coast line', and 'moutain' (spelling error repeated). Furthermore, the student describes the wind as having 'climbed', which is less natural than 'ascended' or 'travelled'. These vocabulary errors and minor spelling slips place this criterion firmly at band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('where it is pushed') and adverbial clauses ('As it rises'). However, there are several grammatical and mechanical inaccuracies throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('clouds, are formed' and 'winds from the sea reaches'), spelling mistakes ('moutain' instead of mountain), and punctuation errors (unnecessary comma before 'are'). Despite these frequent minor errors, communication is not impeded, which aligns well with the band 6.0 descriptors for grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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