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 formation of rainshadow desert starts with a wind approaching the coast from the lengths across the sea and here being pushed upwards along the mountain's windward side.As the moist air(carrying water particles from the sea) rises along the stretch of the huge mountains about thousands of kilometers it starts cooling off and as a result the cloud formation takes place.The rains starts pouring from these newly formed clouds across the mountains and the moisture from the air is taken out leaving the air to be all dried up now this dry air continues over the mountain's leeward side.This dry air continues flowing throughout the mountains length untill it reaches the inland areas.In these inland areas Rain Shadow desert Forms.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response only partially addresses the task requirements. First, the word count is 120 words, which falls short of the mandatory 150-word minimum, resulting in an underdeveloped summary. While the student attempts to trace the sequence from the wind approaching the coast to the formation of the rain-shadow desert, the overview and selection of main features lack clarity. The description of the process runs together as a single block of text without a clear introduction or overview. To reach a higher band, the response must meet the minimum length requirement, present a clear overview of the overall process, and extend the explanation of the key stages with better logical separation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organization present, tracking the stages of the diagram from left to right, but there is no clear overall progression or paragraphing. The entire response is written as a single, dense paragraph, making it difficult for the reader to follow the distinct stages of the process. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, or inaccurate, relying heavily on consecutive repetitions of phrases like 'and as a result' and 'this dry air continues'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear. To improve, the writer needs to divide the text into logical paragraphs—such as an introduction, an explanation of the windward side, and a description of the leeward side—and use a wider, more accurate variety of cohesive devices to guide the reader smoothly through the process.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic steps of the diagram. The student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'windward side', 'moist air', 'cloud formation', and 'leeward side'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and collocation issues, such as writing 'lengths across the sea' instead of 'across the sea' and 'rains starts pouring' instead of 'rain starts to fall'. Spelling and word-formation errors, such as 'rainshadow', also occur. To achieve a higher band, the student should expand their lexical repertoire, use less common vocabulary with greater precision, and eliminate inaccuracies in word choice and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on overly long, run-on sentences that string multiple clauses together without proper punctuation. For instance, the sentence starting with 'As the moist air...' is a long, complex structure that becomes difficult to parse. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles (e.g., 'starts with a wind approaching coast' or 'forming rain-shadow desert'), punctuation omissions, and awkward prepositional phrases. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to control punctuation better, break long run-on sentences into shorter, accurate statements, and improve control over articles and verb forms.

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

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