Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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 illustrates the process of rain-shadow deserts formation.

Overall, winds travel thousands of kilometers for the development of rain-shadow deserts. The process involves sea, mountains and the desert.

The process initiates by winds approaching the coast from sea, followed by the rising of winds through mountains. The side of the mountain through which the wind rises, is called the windward side. As the wind move upwards, Moist air gets cooled, followed by the emergence of clouds. The Rain fall emerges on the peak of the mountains.

Then, winds reduce altitude through the other side of the mountain, called the leeward side. Dry air continues flowing through the mountain, while decreasing altitude. Dry winds reaches inland areas, where the origination of rain-shadow desert takes place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the diagram showing the formation of rain-shadow deserts, covering the main stages from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. An overview is provided, noting that winds travel thousands of kilometers. However, the response suffers from a significant limitation: it contains only 125 words, failing to meet the minimum requirement of 150 words. This under-length impacts the overall development of the task. Additionally, while the sequence of stages is generally captured, some descriptions are brief or slightly imprecise, such as placing the rainfall specifically on the peak rather than over the windward side. Due to the under-length penalty and restricted detail, a Band 5.0 is awarded.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text is divided into logical paragraphs separating the introduction, overview, and specific stages of the process. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression through the steps, such as 'The process initiates by', 'As the wind move upwards', and 'Then'. However, paragraphing could be structured more effectively, and referencing is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For instance, sentences frequently begin with similar transitional structures. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow the sequence of the diagram easily, warranting a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms from the diagram such as 'rain-shadow deserts', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'rain-shadow deserts formation' instead of 'the formation of rain-shadow deserts', 'The process initiates by' instead of 'The process is initiated by', and 'The Rain fall emerges' where 'precipitation occurs' would be more natural. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like 'As the wind move upwards, Moist air gets cooled...'. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('As the wind move' instead of 'moves', 'Moist air gets cooled' with unnecessary capitalization), preposition errors ('through mountains' instead of 'over mountains'), and article misuse ('the origination of rain-shadow desert'). These frequent errors cause occasional friction for the reader, though the meaning remains comprehensible, supporting a Band 5.5 score.

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