Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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 provided diagram illustrates the meteorological and geographical pocess involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert over a span of thousand of kilometers.

Overall, the process contains 7 steps from starting to ending.

First of all, it starts with the winds approach coast upper on the sea. Due to Mountains the winds pulled upwards where mostly moist air present and feels cool. Afterward, clouds formed and it caused of raining towards the leeward side of mountain.

Furthermore, dry continues travelling from the top of the mountain to down and it reached to inland areas.

Because most of the moisture has been released as rain on the coastal side, the air that continues over the mountain peak is exteremly dry. In the final stages, this dry air travels down the leeward side of mountain range. As these dry winds reach the inland areas, they create arid conditions devoid of moisture, ultimate resulting in the formation of a rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all key stages of the rain-shadow desert formation diagram, from the winds approaching the coast and ascending the mountains, to precipitation on the windward side and the creation of dry arid conditions on the leeward side. An overview is attempted in the second sentence ("Overall, the process contains 7 steps from starting to ending"), although it is somewhat mechanical. The main features and geographical relationships, such as the thousands of kilometres span and the transition from moist to dry air, are correctly reported and supported by the visual data. The response meets all basic requirements for a successful Task 1 academic response by accurately summarising the main features without significant omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall progression, moving chronologically through the seven numbered stages of the diagram. Cohesive devices such as "First of all", "Afterward", "Furthermore", and "In the final stages" are utilised to structure the explanation, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used, but the text is somewhat fragmented into short, choppy blocks rather than fully developed conceptual paragraphs. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional awkward phrasing affects the flow of ideas. Overall, the logical organisation is apparent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a scientific process, incorporating terms such as "meteorological", "moisture", "arid conditions", and "leeward side". However, there are several noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, such as "pocess" instead of process, "exteremly" instead of extremely, and "ultimate resulting" instead of ultimately resulting. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect a lack of precision that prevents the lexical score from reaching a higher band. The use of less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as "Because most of the moisture has been released as rain on the coastal side, the air that continues over the mountain peak is exteremly dry." There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text, including prepositional and verb-form mistakes like "winds approach coast upper on the sea", "winds pulled upwards", and "dry continues travelling". Punctuation is generally acceptable, but minor structural slips persist in almost every sentence. Despite these issues, the meaning remains comprehensible, placing the grammar securely in the band 6 category.

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