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 picture illustrates how a rain-shadow dessert is formed by a natural phenomena using winds and snow.

The sea winds as they rise high in altitude result in formation of clouds that go further upwards and cause rain. The dry air from their moves down making rain-shadow dessert.

On the coast of the sea are the winds aproaching it. These wids are pushed upwards when they encounter a mountain. Because of the evaporation these winds carry moisture. As they rise higher on the windward side the moist air starts cooling eventually resulting in formation of clouds. These clouds rise above the mountains and upon their collision rain falls. Rain turns into snow because of the high altitude on the top of the mountain leaving dry air as its remainder. This dry air continues over the mountain and then move down the leeward side. These dry winds approach inland areas forming rain-shadow dessert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to describe the formation of a rain-shadow desert, but the treatment of the visual data is only partial. While some main stages of the process are identified—such as winds approaching the coast, being pushed upwards by mountains, and dry air descending on the leeward side—certain details are inaccurately reported or invented, notably the mention of 'snow' and 'collision' which do not appear in the diagram. Furthermore, the overview is somewhat confused by stating the process uses 'natural phenomena using winds and snow.' To reach a higher level, the writer needs to select and report the main features more accurately without introducing outside assumptions, ensuring all descriptions closely align with the provided source image.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation evident in the progression from sea to inland, but the overall progression is disrupted by mechanical and repetitive transitions. The text is broken into short, fragmented paragraphs—some containing only two sentences—which detracts from a smooth flow of ideas. Cohesive devices are sometimes inadequate or repetitive, as seen in the frequent use of basic pronouns and simple connectors like 'then move down' and 'these winds approach'. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'dry air from their moves down'. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, the writer should group related ideas into more cohesive paragraphs and use a wider, more natural range of cohesive links to connect stages of the process logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. There are several noticeable lexical errors, most notably the repeated misspelling of 'desert' as 'dessert' throughout the response. Other vocabulary choices are basic or imprecise, such as 'natural phenomena using winds and snow' and 'dry air as its remainder'. Word formation and spelling inaccuracies cause occasional difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to expand their lexical range by accurately employing less common vocabulary relevant to geographical processes, such as 'precipitation', 'evaporation', and 'topography', while eliminating basic spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple and moderately complex sentences that frequently contain errors. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'The sea winds as they rise high in altitude result in formation of clouds' and 'winds aproaching it'. Prepositions and word order within clauses also show frequent errors, as demonstrated in 'dry air from their moves down' and 'then move down the leeward side'. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To progress, the writer must incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures while improving control over basic grammar, punctuation, and article usage.

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.