Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 formation of rain-shadow desert. It involves eight steps and is a linear process, starts from the pull of winds from sea toward coast and ends with the dry winds reaching inland areas, resulting in the formation of rain-shadow desert across thousand kilometers from sea.

The initial stages deals with the formation of clouds. It starts with the movement of winds towards coast from sea, which then pushed upwards and colled down by moist air rising up. Eventually, clouds are formed.

The remaining stages reveals how the formation of clouds contributes to the formation of rain-shadow desert. The formed clouds precipates to give rain, where the dry air moves over the mountain to reach the inland areas. rain-shadow desert is formed by the reach of dry winds in inland areas. The process that started from the sea which is thousands of kilometers away from the rain-shadow desert formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response partially addresses the task by attempting to summarise the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process. While an overview is attempted in the introduction, some parts of the process are underdeveloped or repetitive. For instance, the conclusion restates the formation of the desert and the distance from the sea multiple times rather than synthesising the full sequence. To reach a higher level, the response would need to provide a more fully developed, coherent summary of all key geographical stages without unnecessary repetition of basic facts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation present with an introduction and supporting body paragraphs, but the overall progression lacks smooth logical flow. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'It starts with' and 'The remaining stages'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structuring of ideas causes some choppy transitions between sentences. To improve, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive ties and ensure that each paragraph builds logically upon the previous one without disjointed shifts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, featuring basic terms related to the diagram such as 'winds', 'clouds', 'mountain', and 'desert'. However, there are noticeable word choice and word form errors that impede precision, such as 'colled down' instead of cooled down, 'precipates' instead of precipitates, and 'thousand kilometers' missing necessary articles or prepositions. Attempts at less common vocabulary are limited and often inaccurate. Using a more precise lexical range and ensuring correct word forms would significantly elevate this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic active forms. Attempts at complex structures tend to be faulty, as seen in awkward phrasing like 'The initial stages deals with' (agreement error) and 'The process that started from the sea which is thousands of kilometers away from the rain-shadow desert formed' (run-on, tangled clause structure). Frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions require extra effort from the reader. Incorporating a greater variety of error-free complex sentences and maintaining strict subject-verb agreement are essential for improvement.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.