Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 flow diagram illustartes how one kind of desert possibly known as a rain-shadow desert is formed.

The process consists of 7 different stages starting from wind approaching to ending with dry wind reaching inland areas through thousands of kilometers forming rain shadow deserts.

First above the sea level near the coast line, wind flows through sea-coast pushing upward by striking to mountains over the large distance. Afterwards wind gets moist, rise and cool with skyward push forming the clouds. All these steps happened on windward side of mountain ranges. Those clouds resulting in rain over the top of hills.

Next steps include the flow of dry air over the mountain ranges towards the leeward side of mountain. Meanwhile, those dry air continous to pass through mountains and maintains the downward trend over long distance before reaching to inland areas forming dry winds. All these process consecutively forms rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages in the formation of a rain-shadow desert, from the initial winds approaching the coast to the creation of the desert inland. An overview is present in the introduction and conclusion, capturing the 7 distinct stages and the geographical scope indicated by the 'thousands of kilometres' marker. However, some minor details are slightly imprecise, such as stating that the wind gets moist after striking the mountains, whereas the diagram implies moisture is picked up from the sea before being pushed upwards. Overall, the key features and comparisons of the windward and leeward sides are appropriately reported, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression through the process, moving logically from the sea and coast across the mountain range to the inland desert. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'Afterwards', and 'Next steps' are used to guide the reader through the sequence of events. However, paragraphing is somewhat underdeveloped, as the text is divided into only two short paragraphs rather than separating the introduction, body steps, and conclusion logically. Furthermore, some referencing is slightly clunky, such as 'those dry air' instead of 'this dry air'. Cohesion is functional and generally clear, aligning with the descriptors for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a natural geographical process, incorporating terms like 'rain-shadow desert', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. There are, however, several lexical and spelling inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'illustartes' instead of 'illustrates', 'line' written as 'line' with a space in 'coast line', and word form errors like 'continous' instead of 'continuous'. Less common lexical items are attempted but occasionally mishandled in terms of collocation or form. The vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the intended meaning, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating participial phrases ('starting from wind approaching', 'pushing upward by striking') and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including missing articles ('above the sea level', 'over large distance'), subject-verb agreement issues ('those clouds resulting', 'All these process consecutively forms'), and prepositions ('pushing upward by striking to'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 6.0 the most accurate descriptor.

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

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