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 process of rain shadow desert after the rain

Overall, the process consist of seven main stages, beginning with winds approch cost from sea and ending with dry winds reach inland. the main feature is that rain falls on windsward side and dry wind continue toward leeward side of the mountain.

Initially, winds approch cost from sea when these winds reach mountains, It pushed upward towards winds windsward side.Afterthat the moist air rises and cools and moisture form into clouds, although winds approches at the peak of the moutain and rain falls on the windsward side of the mountain.

After the rain, the remaining air continues over the mountain since it has already lost its moisture, then dry winds continue to move forward on leeward side of mountain. The dry winds moves downward and reaches inland area there is insufficient moisture and the small particle of rain shadow desert is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully covers all seven stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process depicted in the diagram, beginning with winds approaching the coast and ending with dry winds reaching inland areas. An overview is present in the second paragraph, outlining the main features such as rain falling on the windward side and dry air continuing to the leeward side. However, the response contains some minor inaccuracies in expression, such as stating that the rain-shadow desert is formed by 'small particles,' which slightly misinterprets the physical geographic mechanism shown in the visual. Nonetheless, all main features of the sequence are reported and compared adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that follow the chronological order of the process. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'Overall,' 'Initially,' and 'After that.' However, paragraphing is somewhat inconsistent and the transitions between ideas can feel slightly mechanical. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'It pushed upward' where the antecedent is slightly ambiguous. Overall, the arrangement is coherent enough to guide the reader through the stages.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, incorporating process-specific terms such as 'moist air,' 'clouds,' 'precipitation' (implied via rain), and 'leeward side.' However, there are multiple spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'approch cost' instead of 'approach coast,' 'windsward' instead of 'windward,' and 'Afterthat' as a single word. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they reflect a limited control over spelling and lexical precision, restricting the score to a Band 5.5 or 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using conjunctions like 'although' and 'since.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the response. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'the process consist,' 'winds reach mountains, It pushed upward,' and 'the dry winds moves downward.' Punctuation is also lacking in places, leading to run-on structures. These frequent errors occasionally cause minor difficulty for the reader.

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