Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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 given picture shows process of forming rain shadow in deserts.

Overall, This process has main 7 steps. Starting from Wind approaching to coast to ending with dry winds reach inland areas.

Biggening with first step, whenever the winds approach coast through sea then in next step winds will be pushed upward to the mountains that is thousands kilometer long. After that level of moist will raise and it cool downs the temperature there. Next step will be formation of cloud due to low temperature there. After that the rain fall will be started at peak or coastal side of the mountain. Blocking rain by its peak. So, no rainfall will be there on the other side leeward side of the mountain. After rainfall dry air continues to flow over mountain to its leeward side. In the final step, those dry winds reach to inland areas where no rainfall happens. Those inland areas are part of rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of rain-shadow desert formation, satisfying the requirements for this level. An overview is present, noting the seven distinct steps from the initial winds to the final desert area. However, some parts of the process are developed more fully than others, and certain details are slightly unclear or overly generalised, such as the description of how the 'level of moist will raise'. To move to a higher level, the response would need to provide a more extended and fully supported explanation of each stage without relying on overly simplistic narrative transitions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The writing has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical chronological sequence that matches the stages in the diagram. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the process, such as 'Starting from', 'Biggening with first step', 'After that', and 'In the final step'. However, some of the cohesive referencing and phrasing feel a bit mechanical, and paragraphing could be improved to better group related stages of the process rather than relying on a single dense body paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'winds', 'moist', 'clouds', 'rain', 'mountain', and 'desert'. There are, however, noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'Biggening' instead of 'Beginning', 'picture' instead of 'diagram', and awkward phrasing like 'level of moist will raise'. These lexical inaccuracies and non-standard word forms prevent the response from achieving a higher band, though they do not seriously impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as 'whenever the winds approach coast through sea then in next step winds will be pushed upward'. There are some persistent errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('approach coast', 'through sea', 'at peak'), incorrect verb tenses and forms ('will be started', 'it cool downs'), and preposition usage. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable, but because they rarely impede overall communication, the grammar sits firmly within the mid-range band.

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

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