Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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 diagram illustrates the formation of Rain shadow desert in different steps.The distance between the coast and rain shadow distert is thousands of kilometers.

Overall, the process is divided into seven disintc steps. Winds approach coast , dry air continues over mountain and dry winds reach inland areas are its main steps. Furthermore, there are also two main sides, Windward side and Leeward side which play significant role in creating desert.

Moving to the details, it starts, when winds approach into the coast from the sea. Moreover, winds pushed upwards to moist and cool the air which transform into clouds. After formation of clouds, the rain falls at the top of mountain. During the rain falls, the dry air continues move leeward side. in the final step, the winds reach inland area. in the inland area the Rain shadow desert is formed which is the final step of this process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main steps in the formation of a rain-shadow desert, from the winds approaching the coast to the creation of the desert inland. An overview is provided, noting the seven distinct steps and the key topographical features such as the windward and leeward sides. However, some aspects of the process are somewhat under-developed or briefly glossed over, such as the exact mechanisms of air cooling and cloud formation. Furthermore, there are minor omissions in detailing the spatial relationships across the thousands of kilometres mentioned. While the main features are successfully reported, extending the explanation of how moisture is lost on the windward side would elevate the task response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The writing presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression from the beginning to the end of the natural process. Paragraphing is utilized to separate the introduction, overall summary, and detailed body steps. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall', 'Moving to the details', and 'in the final step', though some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'in the final step' and 'in the inland area'. Pronoun referencing and substitution could be managed more flexibly to ensure smoother transitions between the stages of the diagram.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the sequence of geographical and meteorological events. The student attempts less common vocabulary items such as 'topographical', 'moist', 'disintc', and 'significant', but there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'distert' instead of desert, and 'disintc' instead of distinct. Collocations and word forms show occasional inaccuracy, such as 'winds approach into the coast' instead of 'winds approach the coast'. These errors do not impede communication, but refining word choice and spelling accuracy is necessary to move to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use relative clauses and dependent structures. There are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('Rain shadow desert', 'top of mountain'), incorrect capitalization and punctuation ('steps.The', 'coast , dry'), and awkward verb forms ('winds pushed upwards to moist and cool the air which transform into clouds'). Although these errors occur with some frequency, they rarely impede communication. To improve further, greater control over subject-verb agreement, prepositions within grammatical patterns, and article usage is required.

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

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