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 how rain-shadows desersts are really formed.

overall, the process consists of 7 main steps starting with winds and ending up with formation of rain shadow deserts. This process can involve the area of thousands kilometers approximately.

initially, the process begin with winds approaching the coastal seaside beside mountains. as when the winds are approaching towards mountains, it expereinced a force upwards and it starts travel uphill with taking water molecules . Afterwards winds become moist and rises skywards, and eventually due to cold atmosphere, it cools down. once this has been completed condensation takes place and new clouds are formed.

Following this precipitatoin happends at the winward side of mountains, rain falls at the area only. due to this no cool air is escaped to the leeward side of mountain, while only dry air continues to move over the mountain. consequently these dry winds travel downwards through the leeward side of mountains and finally reach the inland areas. hence rain shadow deserts are formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully covers all seven main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation diagram, from winds approaching the coast to the creation of the desert inland. An overview is provided, highlighting the seven steps and the scale of thousands of kilometres. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting the visual details; for instance, the text states that 'no cool air is escaped to the leeward side', which misinterprets the physical mechanism shown, as dry air continues over the mountain rather than being entirely absent. Despite this minor misreading, the overall response adequately selects and reports the main features and comparisons, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is arranged logically with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and detailed body paragraphs following the chronological steps of the process. Cohesive devices are used to sequence the stages, such as 'initially', 'Afterwards', 'Once this has been completed', and 'Following this'. However, paragraphing is somewhat basic and punctuation/capitalisation errors at the start of sentences (e.g., 'overall', 'initially') detract from the overall flow. Referencing is generally clear, but mechanical transitions prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Coherence and cohesion are sufficient for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common and subject-specific terms such as 'condensation', 'precipitation', 'moist', and 'coastal seaside'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('desersts', 'expereinced', 'precipitatoin', 'winward') and awkward word choices or repetitions ('winds are approaching towards', 'rain falls at the area only'). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect the limitations of Band 5.5 or 6.0. Because the vocabulary attempts topic-specific precision despite inaccuracies, a score of 5.5 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'as when the winds are approaching towards mountains, it expereinced a force upwards'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('winds... expereinced', 'air is escaped'), incorrect prepositions, and persistent punctuation and capitalisation errors (e.g., lowercase letters at the beginning of sentences). These errors occasionally cause some minor difficulty for the reader, aligning well with the Band 5.5 descriptors.

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

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