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 Diagram illustrates the complete process of the formation of rain-shadow desert in the form of steps as each step is showing different process.

Overall, the diagram illustrates that how the process is actually start from the sea side and how it gradually move towards the rain shadow desert covering the dstance of thousands of kilometers from sea side to desert side. As the diagram is giving information about step by step procedure of the formation of the rain shadow desert as it representing that the winds start moving from the sea side and eventually approaching the coast and gradually pushing toward the the top of the mountain and as the wind is gradually moving towards the mountain's top the wing is getting moist and slowly turns to rain fall at the exact moment it reached at the top.

moreover thw diagram illustrates that how the procedure actually moves further and as the wind moves further towards the downside of the mountain it getting dry and as it reaches near to the groung the wind completely turns into dry Wind from the moist and rainy wind and eventually we got to see through the diagram that the wind reaches at inland is completely dry.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the overall requirements of the task by attempting to outline the main stages of rain-shadow desert formation. An overview is present, highlighting the progression from the sea side across thousands of kilometres to the inland desert. However, the development of ideas is uneven and lacks precision in detailing the sequential stages accurately. While the text mentions winds moving from the sea, being pushed upwards, and causing rain before descending as dry air, some parts are repetitive and under-developed. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to select and report the key features more systematically, ensuring all major diagram labels such as the windward side, mountain peak, and leeward side are clearly integrated and supported with accurate descriptions of the physical processes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, successfully guiding the reader through the basic progression of the diagram from left to right. However, the organization suffers from a lack of proper paragraphing, as the entire body of the response is compressed into just two overly long blocks. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'and' and 'as' to string clauses together, which creates run-on sentences. Additionally, referencing between sentences is occasionally unclear, making the logical progression less transparent than required for higher bands. To improve, the student should divide the response into logical paragraphs—such as an introduction with an overview, followed by separate paragraphs for the rising and descending stages—and employ a wider variety of cohesive markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating basic concepts related to the diagram, such as 'winds', 'coast', 'mountain', and 'rain'. The student attempts less common vocabulary items like 'procedure' and 'gradually', but encounters some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling, such as 'dstance' for distance, 'thw' for the, and 'groung' for ground. Collocations are also occasionally unnatural, for example, using 'turns to rain fall' or 'getting dry'. These lexical errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the response to a lower band. To progress, the student must expand their range of functional academic vocabulary, practice accurate spelling, and refine collocations to describe scientific or geographical processes more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over basic sentence structures. However, the writing contains frequent structural flaws, particularly run-on sentences where multiple clauses are joined incorrectly with conjunctions without adequate punctuation or relative pronouns. There are also noticeable errors in articles, prepositions, and verb forms, such as 'how the process is actually start', 'the wing is getting moist', and 'the wind reaches at inland is completely dry'. While these errors rarely completely impede understanding, their frequency impacts the overall fluency of the text. To reach a higher band, the student needs to produce a greater proportion of error-free sentences, improve punctuation control, and master complex sentence patterns.

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

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