Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 provided process illustrates the steps of the formation of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it can be seen that the formation of rain-shadow deserts contains seven main stages, beginning with the winds approach coast and ending with the dry winds reach to inland areas.

To begin with the first step, on the seal level winds approach towards coast and in the next stage, winds are pushed upwards to the mountains. In the third step, moist air is being rose and gets cooler. On the windward side, Clouds are formed. After the completion of this stage, rain is fell on the top of the Mountain.

Next, dry air is continued to fall over mountain towards Leeward side. When dry air reaches to bottom of the mountain, it converts to dry winds and then in the final step dry winds are reached to inland areas and it called as rain-shadow desert. However, the mountains are Thousands of kilometres wider in the length.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, meeting the minimum word count requirement with 159 words. An overview is successfully attempted in the second paragraph, identifying the seven main stages. However, some parts are more fully developed than others, and certain features lack precise mechanical reporting. For example, the description of air movement relies heavily on lifting direct phrasing from the prompts without fully extending the explanation of how moisture is lost. Furthermore, the final sentence about the mountains being 'Thousands of kilometres wider in the length' misinterprets the scale indicator from the visual data. To reach a higher level, the response should present a more integrated overview and ensure all reported details strictly reflect the visual information without misinterpreting scale elements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression that mirrors the sequential steps of the diagram. The response is divided into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that follow the flow of the process from the sea to the inland area. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the stages, such as 'To begin with', 'In the third step', 'After the completion of this stage', and 'Next'. However, some cohesive links and referencing are a little mechanical or repetitive, such as starting multiple sentences with procedural markers like 'In the third step' or 'Next'. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction and overview from the detailed process steps, but further grouping of the sequence could improve the overall flow. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to employ a wider and more flexible variety of cohesive devices rather than relying on sequential listing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common and process-specific terms such as 'moist air', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'rain-shadow desert'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation throughout the text. Examples include writing 'seal level' instead of sea level, 'rain is fell' instead of rain falls, and 'thousands of kilometres wider in the length' where the collocation is awkward. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the lexical errors and awkward phrasing occasionally hinder precision. To move to a higher band, the writer should demonstrate greater control over collocations and ensure that derived word forms, such as nouns and verbs, are used accurately in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb forms, voice, and articles, such as 'winds approach coast' missing articles, 'moist air is being rose and gets cooler' displaying incorrect passive and active tense blending, and 'rain is fell' showing an incorrect passive construction. Prepositional and structural errors also occur, such as 'reaches to bottom' and 'it called as rain-shadow desert'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur regularly enough to restrict the score at this level. To improve, the writer needs to eliminate basic errors in verb morphology, passive voice formation, and article use, while demonstrating a more secure control over complex sentence patterns.

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

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