Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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 iluustrates how one type of desert, known as a rain shadow desert, is formed.

overall, moist air from the sea rises over the mountain , producing rainfall on the windward side . After losing it's moisture , the air becomes dry and creates desert conditions inland.

At the begining of the process , the winds approach coast from the sea, as the air reaches the mountain it is pushed upwards. While rising it cools down , whch leads to the formation of clouds. Next rain falls on the windward side of the mountain or oposite side of the mountain, the remaining air continues over the mountain and becomes dry. Finally dry air reaches to inland areas, resulting in the formation of rain shadow desert.

So, this isthe process of formation of rain shadow deserts

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student successfully identifies the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, covering the approach of winds, moist air rising, cloud formation, precipitation, and dry air moving over the mountains to inland areas. An overview is provided at the beginning, highlighting the key transition from moist air to dry desert conditions. However, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 136 words. This under-length impacts the level of detail and fullness of the report, leading to a penalty under Task Achievement where some stages could have been elaborated further.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is generally coherent and follows a logical chronological progression that mirrors the steps in the diagram. Paragraphing is attempted, with an introduction, an overview, body sentences, and an informal concluding sentence ("So, this is the process..."). However, the paragraphing structure is slightly fragmented, with some sentences standing alone or being overly brief. Cohesive devices such as "At the begining of the process", "Next", and "Finally" are used to guide the reader through the stages, though referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as stating rain falls on the "oposite side of the mountain", which is factually inconsistent with the leeward side description.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, accurately employing subject-specific terms such as "moist air", "windward side", "precipitation" (implied), and "rain shadow desert". There are, however, a few spelling and lexical errors, such as "iluustrates" instead of "illustrates", "overall" written in lowercase at the start of the second paragraph, and "begining" instead of "beginning". The range is sufficient to convey the process, but the vocabulary remains somewhat basic and relies heavily on terms directly lifted from the prompt, limiting the score to a 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as "as the air reaches the mountain it is pushed upwards" and "While rising it cools down , whch leads to the formation of clouds." There are several grammatical and mechanical errors, including punctuation errors (unnecessary spaces before commas and periods), spelling mistakes like "whch", and a possessive error ("losing it's moisture" instead of "its"). Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear and communication is not severely impeded.

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

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