Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 image illustrates the process of formation of rain-shadow deserts.

Overall, there are 7 stages of this process. Which includes, wind and moist air that forms cloud and produces rain ending in forming rain-shadow desert.

Initially, the winds that come from ocean are cooler and they flow towards the coast direction. Through pressure the wind is pushed upward to windward side to reach the mountain top. Moving further up this wind and air particles collapse together and form clouds.This cloud rises to the top of the mountain, as it is filled with the moist air and wind that creates negative pressure. This produces rain that starts falling on the peak of the mountains.

While reaching to other side of the mountain, the air becomes dry and continues to flow over the mountain from leeward side towards the inland. Lastly. this way the dry winds reach inland areas and provides to the areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by identifying the main subject and outlining most of the seven stages of the rain-shadow desert formation. However, the overview is rather mechanical, simply stating that there are seven stages without synthesizing the broader picture effectively. While key steps such as winds approaching the coast, rising, forming clouds, and producing rain on the windward side are mentioned, some ideas remain under-developed or imprecise. For instance, the description of how dry air continues over the leeward side and reaches inland areas lacks clarity in explaining the rain-shadow effect fully. To reach a higher level, the overview should provide a more cohesive summary of the overall mechanism, and the individual stages should be extended with clearer descriptions of the atmospheric changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a logical sequence following the stages of the diagram from the ocean to the inland area. Paragraphing is used, separating the introduction, overview, and body details. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the sentence "Which includes, wind and moist air that forms cloud and produces rain ending in forming rain-shadow desert" is a fragmented clause rather than a complete sentence, disrupting the flow. Furthermore, referencing and transitional markers between sentences could be managed more smoothly, as seen with abrupt shifts like "While reaching to other side of the mountain". Improving the use of cohesive devices and ensuring all sentences are grammatically complete will enhance the logical progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe basic physical elements such as "winds", "ocean", "clouds", and "mountains". However, the range is limited and contains noticeable errors in word choice and phrasing that occasionally impede communication, such as "flow towards the coast direction" instead of "toward the coast" and "air particles collapse together" instead of "collide". There are also awkward collocations like "provides to the areas". To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of less common vocabulary related to geography and meteorology, while paying closer attention to standard collocations and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing relies on a limited range of structures, with attempts at complex sentences frequently resulting in faulty grammar. There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions, such as "the winds that come from ocean" missing an article, and "While reaching to other side" featuring an incorrect preposition and missing article. Punctuation issues are also present, including a sentence fragment in the overview and a stray full stop in the final paragraph ("Lastly. this way"). These errors occur regularly and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer should focus on mastering basic sentence boundaries, article usage, and prepositions while incorporating a greater variety of accurate complex structures.

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