Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 FLOW CHART DEMONSTRATES HOW A ONE TYPE OF DESERT, CALLLED AS A RAIN SHADOW DESERT, IS FORMED.

OVERALL, SEVEN DISTINCT STAGES ARE DEMONSTRATED IN THE PICTURE INCLUDING WINDS APPROACH COAST THAT GO FROM SEA AND ENDS AT DRY WINDS WHICH REACH INLAND AREAS AND THOSE ARE THOUSAND OF KILOMETERS AWAYS FROM EACH OTHER.

TO INITIATE WITH THE FORMATION OF RAIN SHADOW DESERTS, THE WINDS APPROACH COAST THAT GOES FROM THE SEA THAT PUSHED UPWARDS SLOWLY. IN ADDITION, THE MOIST AIR CLIMBS AND BECOMES MORE REFRESHES IN THE MID OF THE MOUNTAINS ALONG WITH CLOUDS ARE FORMED AND THEN IN THE UP COMING STAGE RAIN FALLS IN THE SEA SIDE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE IS A DRY AIR THAT CONSISTENTLY CONTINOUS OVER THE MOUNTAIN ACROSS THE LEEWARD SIDE AND THEN IT DRAMATICALLY DECLINE IN THE AREA OD INLAND. MOREOVER, THERE IS RAIN SHADOW DESERT ALONG WITH AREA OF INLAND.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to describe all stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, covering the winds approaching the coast, the moist air rising, clouds forming, rain falling on the windward side, and dry air continuing across the mountains to the inland desert. However, there are significant flaws in the selection and reporting of features. For instance, the text claims that moist air becomes 'more refreshes' and that rain falls 'in the sea side' (rather than the windward mountain slopes). Furthermore, expressions such as 'thousands of kilometers aways' are clumsily handled. While the overarching process is identifiable, the lack of precision in describing geographical features and meteorological steps prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, moving to an overview, and then splitting the process into initial and subsequent stages using transitional markers like 'TO INITIATE WITH' and 'ON THE OTHER HAND'. However, the use of linking devices is frequently awkward or mechanical, such as starting sentences with conjunctions ('and then in the up coming stage') or faulty referencing ('that consistantly continous over the mountain'). Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion is hindered by broken syntax and repetitive sentence structures. Overall progression is somewhat discernible, but referencing errors mean ideas do not always flow smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very limited and heavily relies on copying terms directly from the prompt ('rain shadow desert', 'winds approach coast', 'inland areas'). There are numerous awkward word choices and non-standard collocations, such as 'CALLLED AS', 'more refreshes', 'up coming stage', and 'dramatically decline in the area od inland'. Spelling errors such as 'aways', 'consistantly', 'continous', and 'od' further drag down the lexical score. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, their incorrect usage and persistent lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text is marred by basic structural errors, incorrect verb forms, and missing articles, such as 'HOW A ONE TYPE OF DESERT', 'THE WINDS APPROACH COAST THAT GOES FROM THE SEA THAT PUSHED UPWARDS SLOWLY', and 'there is a dry air that consistently continous'. Complex structures are attempted, but they are consistently faulty and frequently impede communication. Punctuation and capitalization are also problematic, as the entire response is written in uppercase letters. The frequency of grammatical errors places this response firmly in the Band 5 range.

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

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