Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 various processes through which rain-shadow desert is formed.

Overall, the process consists of seven stages, beginning with winds approaching the coast and ending with dry winds reaching the inland areas, resulting in the foramtion of Rain-shadow desert. The formation took place through several stages including winds pushed upwards, Moist air rises and cools, clouds formation Dry air continues over mountains and dry winds reach inland areas.

Initially the linear chain started with the winds approaching the coast by crossing the sea. Subsequently, winds got pushed upwards on the mountain. Following this, Moist air rose upward on windward side and cooled down. In the next stage, clouds were formed and gradually they turned black.

Moving on the other steps, the dry air on the top of mountains continued over mountain and reached leeward side. Finally, dry winds reached inland areas after covering thousand of kilometres to form rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully identifies the main features of the diagram depicting the formation of a rain-shadow desert. The overview clearly states that the process consists of seven distinct stages, beginning with winds approaching the coast and culminating in dry winds reaching inland areas. Key details, such as moist air rising, cloud formation, precipitation on the windward side, and dry air crossing the mountains to the leeward side, are accurately reported. However, there are minor typos in copying labels from the prompt, such as 'foramtion' instead of 'formation', and the inclusion of 'turned black' adds unnecessary detail not supported by the visual data. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed adequately, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing the sequential steps of the diagram. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Initially', 'Subsequently', 'Following this', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the process. However, some mechanical transitions and awkward phrasing, such as 'Moving on the other steps', slightly disrupt the natural flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, initial stages, and concluding steps. Referencing is generally clear, though minor repetition of phrase structures limits a higher score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms from the prompt such as 'winds', 'coast', 'moist air', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. There are, however, several lexical and spelling errors, including 'foramtion' instead of 'formation', inconsistent capitalization of 'Moist air', and the informal description 'turned black'. While less common vocabulary is attempted, the presence of these inaccuracies and slight awkwardness in word choice keeps the lexical score within the Band 6 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as participial phrases ('beginning with winds approaching the coast') and relative clauses. There is generally good control over simple past and present tenses used to describe the process. However, a few grammatical and punctuation errors occur, such as missing articles ('resulting in the foramtion of Rain-shadow desert') and minor capitalization errors. Despite these slips, the errors do not impede communication, allowing the text to achieve a solid Band 6.0 for grammatical accuracy and range.

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

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