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 diagram shows the formation cycle of rain-shadow forest. The image shows 7 major steps in the formation of rain-shadow forest.

At first, at the sea levels a wind approach through the coast when the wind approched, the air at the coastal line pushes the winds upwards. As a winds pushes upwards, the moist air rises and cool down at almost the mountain level. Just above the windward side, clouds are formed. Tiny litttle clouds just created at the windward side, then rain falls at the top of moutains. The raining at mountain tops then continues till the dry air continue over the mountain. Then the dry air moves down at leeward side. Then after significant time the dry winds reached down at inland areas.

As the dry winds reach at inland areas. The rain-shadow desert is formed.

This rain-shadow desert is creted far from the sea and coast side, the distance between coast and the rain-shadow desert is about thousands of kilometers.

It is pertinent to mention that moist air cools doen at windward side while dry air continues over the mountains at leeward side and then dumped the winds in inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by outlining the stages of rain-shadow desert formation, though it refers to a 'rain-shadow forest' by mistake. While it presents an overview of the sequence from the sea to inland areas, some parts of the process are underdeveloped or repetitive. For instance, the explanation of how dry air moves down the leeward side and eventually forms the desert lacks concise synthesis, relying instead on a sequential narrative that closely tracks the diagram labels without deeper analysis. To reach a higher band, the response needs to more fully select and highlight key features and comparisons while maintaining absolute accuracy regarding the subject matter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation in the text, as it follows the numerical stages shown in the diagram from the sea to the inland areas. However, there is a lack of clear overall progression, and the paragraphing is underdeveloped, with many very short, disjointed sentences and paragraphs. Cohesive devices are sometimes used mechanically or repetitively, such as the frequent starting of sentences with 'Then' or 'At first'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, making the logical flow bumpy. To improve coherence and cohesion, the writer should group related stages into well-developed paragraphs and use a wider, more natural variety of transitional phrases to connect the ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to describe the visual process. The student attempts some less common terms related to the prompt, such as 'coastal line', 'windward side', and 'leeward side', but makes noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, most prominently mislabeling the desert as a 'forest' throughout the opening. There are also instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'dumped the winds'. These lexical inaccuracies and limitations sometimes cause difficulty or confusion for the reader. To achieve a higher score, a broader range of precise vocabulary should be employed with greater awareness of collocations and correct terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple sentences and basic active clauses. Attempts at more complex structures are frequently faulty, leading to numerous grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('a wind approach', 'the air... pushes', 'As a winds pushes'), incorrect articles ('at the sea levels'), and awkward prepositional phrases ('at windward side'). Frequent errors in tense consistency and pluralisation are also present. These persistent inaccuracies can cause difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Incorporating a wider variety of accurate complex sentence forms is necessary for improvement.

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

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