Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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 provided process diagram illustrates the visual representation of rain-shadow desert from the natural process.

At a glance it reveals that the phenomenon start from the winds approach coast following by the process and finally reached at inland areas to devlop rain hadow desert.

In start, winds from the Sea move towards Coast to approach it and then Winds pushed upwards towards mountaines from the Sea level followed by the process moist air moved towards windward side and it become cools.Whenever moist air cooled it form Clouds these clouds then further caused a Ran falls.

In the next phase, this Rain fall changed to dry air over the mountaine to cover its area and it become snow-cop mountain.In next step snow cop mountains dry air countinues towards inland at this stage dry winds reach inland areas in this way winds covers thousands of kilometres distance and finaly become Rain-Shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to describe the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, satisfying the minimum word requirement by reaching 150 words. However, the coverage of the diagram is only partial, as some key features are under-developed or inaccurately described. For instance, the student states that the rain fall 'changed to dry air... to cover its area and it become snow-cop mountain,' which introduces details not supported by the visual data. The overview is also very basic, consisting of a single introductory sentence that lacks a clear synthesis of the entire natural cycle. To reach a higher level, the response would need to outline all main stages more accurately and provide a more comprehensive summary of how the process progresses from the sea across the mountain to the inland desert.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates some overall organization, attempting to group the stages into an introduction and subsequent chronological phases. However, the progression is sometimes difficult to follow due to mechanical and faulty use of cohesive devices, such as 'In start' and 'Whenever moist air cooled it form Clouds these clouds then further caused a Ran falls.' Paragraphing is also poorly managed, as the body of the response is compressed into two dense blocks of text that do not logically separate the distinct phases of the diagram. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it hard to track the subject matter between sentences. Improving this area requires more varied and accurate cohesive markers, clearer logical transitions between steps, and a more structured paragraph layout that clearly separates the introduction, the ascending phase, and the descending inland phase.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, with noticeable errors that occasionally impede communication. While the student attempts some less common topic-related terms like 'phenomenon', 'moist air', and 'inland areas', these are often marred by word form, spelling, and collocation errors, such as 'devlop rain hadow desert', 'snow-cop mountain', and 'countinues'. Word choices are frequently repetitive or imprecise, reflecting a basic range that struggles to convey the scientific nature of the process accurately. To improve in this criterion, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary, ensure accurate spelling of key terms like 'rain-shadow' and 'snow-capped', and use precise collocations appropriate for describing natural geographical processes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or overly connected clauses with frequent structural errors. Attempts at complex sentences are often faulty, leading to noticeable grammar errors that can cause difficulty for the reader, such as missing articles, incorrect prepositions, and poor subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the phenomenon start from', 'winds pushed towards mountaines', and 'air countinues towards inland'). Verb tense consistency is also problematic throughout the description of the continuous natural process. To achieve a higher band, the writer must reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors, improve control over tense usage when describing scientific cycles, and form more accurate complex sentence structures with correct punctuation.

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

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