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 figure showed step by step formation of rain-shadow desert which strats from coastal region to the land by a distance of thousands of kilometers.

Overall process showed that the winds formations on coastal areas helps air move upwards to the mountains to form clouds and rain. Rain water goes down through a leepward side of mountains into the land in result making a rain-shadow deserts.

The formation can of rain-deserts involves seven following steps.

1. Winds approach coast 2. Winds pushed upwards 3. Moist air rises and cools 4. Clouds formation 5. Rains falls 6. Dry air continues through mountains 7. Dry wind reach inland areas.

The process finally starts when the winds from coastal areas pushed upwards to the nearby mountains which indirectly makes that air moist and cool and helps in the formation of clouds.

After the formation of clouds it starts raining while the dry air continues falling down the mountains through leepward side. Finally that air reaches the ground through a thousands kilometers to form rain-shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process from the coast to inland areas. An overview is attempted, stating that winds move upwards toward the mountains to form clouds and rain, resulting in a desert on the leeward side. However, some ideas remain under-developed or slightly repetitive, such as the redundant listing of the seven numbered steps which mirrors the diagram's labels rather than fully summarising them in your own integrated prose. To achieve a higher band, the overview should be more sharply defined, and the relationship between the stages should be elaborated with greater clarity rather than relying on a simple numbered list.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response demonstrates some organisation with basic cohesive devices and paragraphing, such as 'Overall process showed that...' and 'After the formation of clouds...'. However, the arrangement lacks a clear overall progression in places, and referencing is sometimes faulty, making the flow somewhat mechanical. The use of a numbered list ('1. Winds approach coast 2. Winds pushed upwards...') disrupts the natural cohesive flow of a standard academic report. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, you should avoid bulleted or numbered lists entirely, integrate all information into cohesive paragraphs, and use a wider range of logical connectors to guide the reader smoothly from one stage of the diagram to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

An adequate range of vocabulary is used for the task, including topic-specific terms like 'coastal region', 'moist air', 'clouds', and 'rain-shadow desert'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and spelling mistakes throughout the text, such as 'strats' instead of starts, 'leepward' instead of leeward, and 'rain-deserts'. Attempts at less common vocabulary sometimes lead to unnatural collocations or inaccurate word forms. To reach a higher band, you need to use a wider and more precise range of vocabulary with accurate spelling and natural collocations, ensuring that less common terms are used correctly and appropriately in an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, but control is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors regarding verb forms, prepositions, and articles, such as 'The figure showed step by step formation' (missing articles), 'winds formations on coastal areas helps' (subject-verb agreement and noun form errors), and 'through a thousands kilometers' (unnecessary article and pluralisation error). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur regularly. To move up to the next band, you need to produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences, improve your control over articles and subject-verb agreement, and handle complex grammatical structures with greater accuracy.

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

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