Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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 process chart illustrates th information regarding the formation of rain shadow deserts.

Overall, it is clear that it contain simple and natural steps, starting with sea water to converts in rain falls ends with rain shadow desert.

To start with, in first step wind pass though the sea and approach to the mountain coast. Then the mountain coast pushed the winds upword to the windward side. Where the moist air rises and cools. After that, the cool air converts into the clouds form.

Moving on, the cloud which is full of fom reachied the top of the mountin and rain falls on mountain. Then the dry air continues over mountain from the leeward side of the mountain. After that , the dry air reach to the inland areas and fall into the coast of the mountain where it convert into the rain shadow desert after crossing the thousands of kilometers journy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers the main features of the diagram regarding the formation of rain-shadow deserts, tracing the stages from winds approaching the coast to the creation of the desert on the leeward side. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, stating that the process consists of natural steps starting from the sea and ending at the rain-shadow desert. However, some aspects of the explanation are slightly imprecise or confused, such as the claim that dry air "fall into the coast of the mountain," which misinterprets the spatial layout of the diagram. The response meets the minimum length requirement, but the development of ideas remains somewhat basic, earning a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged into four paragraphs, providing a coherent overall structure that guides the reader through the sequence of the diagram. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as "To start with," "Then," "After that," and "Moving on." However, referencing and paragraphing are sometimes awkward or mechanical, as seen in the sudden paragraph break and repetitive sentence starters. Paragraphing is also affected by very short, choppy paragraphs that could be better integrated for logical flow. Consequently, the score for this criterion is a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as "moist air," "cool air," "clouds," "dry air," and "rain-shadow desert." However, there are numerous word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, including "th information," "converts in rain falls," "upword," "fom," "mountin," and "journy." These errors demonstrate a limited control over lexical items and spelling, though communication is generally maintained. This performance aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and temporal conjunctions (e.g., "the cloud which is full of fom reachied the top"). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ("it contain simple"), incorrect verb forms ("to converts in rain falls"), missing prepositions, and tense inconsistencies. Punctuation errors, such as a stray space before a comma in "After that ,", also occur. Because errors are frequent and occasionally cause strain for the reader, a Band 5.0 is awarded.

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