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)

Overall, the rain-shadow deserts are formed by natural occuring changes in the atomsphere. It is a natural phenomenon. Winds,rain,mountains and clouds play an important role in it's formation.

Initially, the winds approaches the coast which is by the sea and the mountain. The winds after reaching the coast, are pushed upward to an incline direction in the windward side leading to the mountain's tip. As the winds are travelling towards the top of the mountain, the temperature drop is observed which causes the moist air to cool down. This change causes the cool moist air to form into clouds.

The clouds rises to the top of the mountain. There is a significant increase in the moisture in the clouds, this causes rainfall on the mountain. So, the air is no longer moist and is turned into dry air.

This dry air travels in a downward direction on the leeward side. This dry air travels from top to the bottom of the mountain reaching the inland area Where rain-forest desert is formed

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of rain-shadow desert formation from the initial approach of winds off the sea to the creation of the desert inland. However, certain parts are under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies, such as referring to the final location as a 'rain-forest desert' instead of a rain-shadow desert. The overview provided in the introduction is also slightly imprecise, mentioning 'changes in the atomsphere' rather than focusing strictly on the geographical and meteorological process depicted in the diagram. To reach a higher level, all aspects of the process should be described with greater precision, ensuring exact terminology is used throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement that generally follows the chronological sequence of the diagram. Paragraphing is used to separate the different stages of the process, moving logically from the coast to the mountain and finally to the inland area. Cohesion is present through transition words like 'Initially' and 'This dry air', but referencing and linking are at times somewhat mechanical or repetitive. The half-band strength shows clear logical progression across paragraphs, though bridging devices between sentences could be more varied and sophisticated to elevate the flow further.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the basic sequence of the weather cycle. However, there are noticeable spelling errors, such as 'atomsphere' and 'occuring', alongside word-choice inaccuracies like 'rain-forest desert'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and attempts at less common lexical items are occasionally imprecise. To improve, the student needs to expand their range of precise meteorological and geographical terms, eliminate spelling mistakes, and ensure that collocations are used accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, describing actions using passive structures and relative clauses. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including articles ('the winds approaches' instead of 'winds approach', 'the temperature drop') and prepositional usage. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a limited level of grammatical control. A higher band would require greater accuracy in subject-verb agreement and article usage across complex structures.

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