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 outline the stages and process involved in the emergence of a rain shadow dessert.

Overall,the formation consists of seven stages, starting from the winds moving across the sea towards the coast of mountain and ends at the development as a dry wind reaching the inland areas.

Firstly, the wind that travels across the sea, approaches the coast and then pushed upward due to the inclined position at the side of the mountain. Secondly,the moisture in the air cools the wind and helps to transform it into the clouds. At a certain height usually on top of a mountain these clouds tend to fall in the shape of rain water.

As the clouds fall, they are again been converted to air by a process called condensation. But this type of air is dry continues to fall from the leeward side of the mountain and at last reaches inland areas resulting in the formation of a rain shadow dessert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully identifies the main features and stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process as depicted in the diagram, covering the seven key steps from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. An overview is provided in the second sentence, outlining the process start and end points. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting the visual details, such as misinterpreting precipitation as clouds falling in the shape of rainwater and incorrectly referring to condensation converting clouds back into air. Despite these minor misinterpretations of the physical science depicted, the response adequately addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear summary of the sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized logically into three paragraphs: an introductory sentence with an overview, a second sentence continuing the overview, followed by the sequential steps of the process. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'At a certain height' are used to guide the reader through the stages, although some referencing is slightly awkward (e.g., 'the development as a dry wind'). Paragraphing could be improved by separating the introduction and overview from the detailed body steps, but the overall progression of information remains clear and coherent from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of process-related vocabulary, including terms like 'emergence', 'moisture', 'condensation', and 'inland areas'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('dessert' instead of 'desert') and occasional awkward collocations or lexical inaccuracies, such as 'pushed upward due to the inclined position' and 'clouds tend to fall in the shape of rain water'. While the vocabulary used is adequate to communicate the main steps of the diagram, these persistent errors prevent the lexical score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('the wind that travels across the sea') and participial phrases. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent due to several errors, including missing articles ('outline the stages'), missing auxiliary verbs ('the wind... then pushed upward'), and clunky phrasing ('are again been converted'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor grammatical slips mean that error-free sentences are not in the majority, placing the performance securely in Band 6.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.