Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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 illustrate by which rain shadow deserts is form.

overall,the formation of rain shadow deserts involve 7 stages from winds approching to the cost to dry winds reach inland areas.The process occurs when the moist air approaches towards the moutain and forming the rain clouds and leaving the dry air towards the leeward side.

initially, winds from the seaward side approches towards the mountain peak.As the air rises towards the moutain upward side its cool and moist forming the rain cloud and once the cloud is developed, rain fall occurs on the windward side of the mountain.

After the rain has fallen , air continue to moves towards the leeward side of the mountain. it is a dry air having lost to much of its moisture through rainfall, air become increasinly dry as its decends.finally the dry air reached the inland areas where it formed the rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and describing the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process from the sea and coast across the mountain to the inland area. The response successfully outlines the key features, such as winds approaching the coast, air rising and cooling to form clouds and rain on the windward side, and dry air descending on the leeward side to create the desert. Although there are some minor linguistic errors and slightly imprecise phrasings, the core information from the diagram is accurately reported. This performance aligns well with Band 6.0 descriptors, as it addresses all parts of the task satisfactorily.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement and logical sequencing of the stages, moving chronologically from the initial winds to the final desert formation. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, overview, and specific stages of the process, which helps structure the response. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, with instances of awkward transitions and repetitive sentence structures (e.g., beginning multiple sentences with 'the air' or 'winds'). Referencing and logical connectors are basic but functional. This warrants a Band 6.0 for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with domain-specific terms borrowed from the prompt such as 'moisture', 'leeward side', 'windward side', and 'inland areas'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'illustrate' instead of 'illustrates', 'form' instead of 'formed', 'approching' instead of 'approaching', 'cost' instead of 'coast', and 'decends' instead of 'descends'. These errors indicate a limited control over word forms and spelling, though communication is not severely impeded. This fits the Band 5.0 descriptors for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The diagram illustrate', 'deserts is form', 'formation... involve'), incorrect verb tenses ('air reached' instead of 'reaches'), and poor punctuation with missing spaces after commas (e.g., 'overall,the'). While some complex structures are attempted, they often contain errors. This level of grammatical accuracy and range corresponds to a Band 5.0.

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

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