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 drawing above depicts the process of the formation of rain-shadow desert, which is one of the many types of deserts.

Overall, there are various stages that leads to the formation of this desert.

This usually starts from winds blowing above the sea level near mountains. It involves scientific processes involving clouds and moist air. These processes lead to the generation of these deserts which are usually quite distant from the location where the first step begins.

The process commences with wind currents advancing towards the mountains near the sea level. This causes moist air to elevate and chill.

This is where clouds take birth and water droplets are released to generate rain.

At the summit of the mountain dry air flows and de-escalates towards the inland which is the ground beyond the mountain. As these withered winds reach the low level inland, rain-shadow deserts are formed far away from where these this winds first set it course.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student has attempted to summarise the diagram showing the formation of rain-shadow deserts. However, the response lacks a clear and comprehensive overview of the main features and stages depicted in the visual data. Key geographical features such as the windward side, leeward side, ocean, mountains, and the scale of thousands of kilometres are either omitted or only vaguely referenced. The description of the process is somewhat superficial and misses several specific steps shown in the diagram, such as the winds approaching the coast and dry air crossing the mountains. Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, warranting a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, but the paragraphing is somewhat disjointed, with several very short paragraphs consisting of only one or two sentences. While there is a basic logical progression from the introduction to the final stages of the desert formation, the use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally mechanical or imprecise. Referencing is also slightly unclear in places, such as in the phrase 'where these this winds first set it course', which disrupts the flow of information. Overall organisation is present, but progression lacks smoothness.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'commences', 'elevate', and 'summit'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'clouds take birth' instead of 'form', 'de-escalates' instead of 'descends', and 'withered winds' instead of 'dry winds'. Spelling and word-form errors are also present, notably 'these this winds' and 'set it course'. These inaccuracies occasionally detract from the precision of the scientific description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'winds blowing above the sea level', 'As these withered winds reach...'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('stages that leads'), incorrect demonstrative and plural agreement ('these this winds'), and prepositional slips ('set it course' instead of 'set its course'). While meaning is generally communicated, the frequency of errors restricts the band score.

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