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 illustration shows how rain-shadow desert is formed

Overall, the process has 7 stages and is linear, beginning with air above the sea flow towards the coast and ending with dry winds reach inland areas which result in rain-shadow desert

The process begin with air above the sea start to blow upwards towards the windward side where it turns into moist air and cools down. As these cool air reach high altitude and forms cloud, subsequently it started to rain.

Then once air travel towards leeward side over the mountains, it reaches the inland areas where it become rain shadow desert. it is formed thousands of kilometres from coast

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially and falls significantly short of the required 150-word minimum, containing only 109 words. While you attempted to outline the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation, the explanation remains quite limited and under-developed. Important details from the visual data, such as the specific role of the mountains and the leeward side mechanics, are glossed over or omitted entirely. To achieve a higher band, you must ensure you write at least 150 words and extend your discussion of each stage of the process with greater clarity and supporting detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the process sequentially. You provided a basic overview paragraph followed by details of the stages. However, progression is sometimes faulty due to abrupt transitions and a lack of varied cohesive devices. For instance, transitional phrases like 'The process begin with' and 'Then once' are repetitive and mechanical. Paragraphing is also underutilised. To reach higher bands, you should employ a wider and more sophisticated range of connecting devices to smoothly link ideas and improve the overall flow of the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using topic-specific terms such as 'moist air', 'high altitude', and 'inland areas'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, form, and collocation, such as 'air above the sea flow' instead of 'flowing' and 'become rain shadow desert' instead of 'becoming a rain-shadow desert'. These errors do not heavily impede communication, but they reflect a limited and developing lexical range. To improve, focus on mastering word forms and expanding your repertoire of academic vocabulary related to natural processes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences, while your attempts at complex structures are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('air above the sea start', 'these cool air reach'), missing articles ('is formed rain-shadow desert', 'thousands of kilometres from coast'), and incorrect verb forms ('started to rain' shifting abruptly in tense). Punctuation is also sparse, with missing periods at the ends of sentences. To improve, you need to work on sentence variety and eliminate frequent basic grammatical errors.

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

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