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 shows the formation of one type of desert, also called a rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the process follows seven different steps to form a rain shadow desert. The formations begins with winds approaching coast and culmimates with dry winds reaching inland areas.

At first, winds approach a sea coast and pushed in upward direction through a mountain. The diagram shows a distance of thousands of kilometer between coast and rain-shadow desert. After that, moist air rises and and cools to form clouds alongwith windward side. When clouds are formed, reaching the highest level of a mountain, they showers a heavy rainfall at the top of a mountain. The rainfall forms a snow cap over a moutain which dries a moist air.

However, dry air continues blowing over mountain reaching leeward side. Afterwards, dry winds passing through a mountain, reaching inland areas where rain-shadow desert is formed below the land.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to cover the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, fulfilling the basic requirements of the task. However, some parts of the task are addressed more fully than others, and certain details are under-developed or inaccurately described. For instance, the overview mentions seven steps and highlights the start and end points, which is a good attempt at summarising the process. On the other hand, the explanation of meteorological phenomena contains inaccuracies based on the visual data, such as stating that clouds 'showers a heavy rainfall at the top of a mountain' and that 'The rainfall forms a snow cap over a moutain which dries a moist air.' Furthermore, stating that the desert is formed 'below the land' misinterprets the spatial layout of the diagram. To reach a higher band, all key stages should be accurately reported without introducing incorrect scientific mechanisms or misinterpreting visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement and attempts a logical progression by dividing the text into an introduction, an overview, and body sentences that follow the sequential stages of the diagram. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the process, such as 'Overall', 'At first', 'After that', and 'However'. Nevertheless, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the transition between ideas in the middle paragraph feels abrupt due to awkward phrasing like 'alongwith windward side' and 'When clouds are formed, reaching the highest level of a mountain, they showers...'. Paragraphing is also somewhat fragmented, as the body content is clumped into dense blocks rather than being logically separated into distinct phases of the cycle. To improve, cohesive devices should be applied more naturally, and information should be grouped into clearer paragraphs representing distinct parts of the process.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer uses an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less-common terms related to geography and weather processes, such as 'rain-shadow desert', 'moist air', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and spelling mistakes that impede communication at times. Examples include 'formations begins' (form), 'culmimates' (culminates), 'kilometer' (kilometres), 'alongwith' (along with), 'they showers' (they shower), and 'moutain' (mountain). While the student successfully incorporates domain-specific terminology from the prompt, the frequent slips in word form, spelling, and collocation prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Expanding the vocabulary range with greater precision and eliminating basic spelling errors would significantly strengthen this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing relies on a limited range of grammatical structures, attempting complex sentences that are frequently faulty. There are frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions within grammatical patterns. Examples of grammatical lapses include 'winds approach a sea coast and pushed in upward direction' (missing auxiliary/passive marker and article), 'a distance of thousands of kilometer' (pluralisation error), 'moist air rises and and cools' (repetition), and 'dry winds passing through a mountain, reaching inland areas' (missing finite verbs or relative pronouns). These errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To move up to the next band, the student needs to demonstrate a greater variety of error-free complex structures, ensure consistent tense control, and pay closer attention to articles and prepositions.

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

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