Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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 map illustrates how a mountain range leaves moist air on one side by leaving the other side dry.

Overall, wind collects water from the sea and it pushed upward on the top where it converts into rain which automatically makes a air dry before reaching the inland areas.

For the formation of rain shadow deserts, on the one side of the mountain range sea is located where wind approaches its coast and gathers some water then from the coast wind tend to move upward as the wind move toward the high altitude moisture in the air begun to rise and its temperature decreases which converts water in to clouds after reaching on the top due to low temperature it starts to rain , leaving air completely dry as wind continue to move on the leeward side wind is completely dry and approaches the inland areas without any moisture which makes rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to summarise the diagram showing the formation of a rain-shadow desert, identifying key stages such as winds approaching the coast, rising over mountains, cooling to form clouds and rain, and leaving the leeward side dry. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'leaves moist air on one side by leaving the other side dry' and 'automatically makes a air dry'. An overview is attempted in the second sentence, but the lack of clear separation between the introduction, overview, and body details weakens the overall structure. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precision in describing the process prevents the response from achieving a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text suffers from a major structural flaw: it consists of only two very long, dense paragraphs (an introduction/overview sentence followed by one massive block of text). This lack of appropriate paragraphing makes the progression difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, relying on repetitive conjunctions like 'then' and 'and'. For instance, the sentence starting with 'For the formation of rain shadow deserts...' runs on for over eighty words without a full stop, stringing together multiple clauses with commas. While there is a logical sequence mirroring the diagram, the poor organization and mechanical cohesion restrict the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with relevant terms such as 'moisture', 'altitude', 'temperature', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. However, word choice and collocations are occasionally unnatural or incorrect, such as 'makes a air dry' (instead of 'makes the air dry') and 'converts water in to clouds'. There are also minor spelling and phrasing issues throughout. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and attempts at less common lexical items lack precision and flexibility, placing this firmly in the band 5.5 to 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing relies heavily on long, run-on complex-compound sentences that lack proper punctuation. For example, the final sentence is a massive comma splice containing numerous clauses: '...it starts to rain , leaving air completely dry as wind continue to move on the leeward side wind is completely dry...'. There are persistent errors in subject-verb agreement ('wind tend to move', 'wind continue'), articles ('a air', 'the mountain range sea'), and punctuation (spaces before commas). While there is an attempt at complex structures, the lack of control over punctuation and sentence boundaries causes frequent comprehension difficulties.

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

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