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 illustrate picture shows the information about how the single type of desert, called as a rain shadow desert, formed.

Overall, the process shows seven main stage, which begins with winds approach coast, and end with dry wind reach inland areas.

Initially, winds from the sea approach the coast, and are then pushed upward towards the mountains. Moist air rises, and it becomes cooler. Moreover, the cloud forms on the windward side of the mountain, after that finally the rain falls on the side of the mountain.

After the rain fall, the air becomes dry and continues moving over the mountain towards the leeward side. Furthermore, the dry air descends towards the inland areas and finally, the dry winds reach the land on the other side of the mountais, where very little rainfall occurs. As a result, a dry reason known as a rain-shadow desert is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by outlining the stages of rain-shadow desert formation, presenting a general overview, and capturing key steps from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. However, the explanation of certain features remains somewhat under-developed, lacking a fuller description of the topographical shifts and the scale involved. Furthermore, the response falls slightly short of the minimum word count requirement, coming in at 140 words, which restricts full task completion and contributes to the overall band placement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical chronological progression that mirrors the sequential stages of the diagram. The introduction and body sections are visible, and basic cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall', 'Initially', 'After the rain fall', and 'As a result'. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, and referencing is occasionally basic. Paragraphing is present, but the organisation could be enhanced to establish smoother transitions between the initial maritime phases and the final inland desert formation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The lexical range is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific vocabulary such as 'winds', 'moist air', 'cloud', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'rain-shadow desert'. However, there are noticeable word choice and morphological errors, such as 'The illustrate picture' instead of 'The illustrated diagram', 'single type' instead of 'particular type', and 'dry reason' instead of 'dry region'. These lexical inaccuracies and limited flexibility prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure through clauses like 'while winds from the sea approach the coast'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense and verb-form inconsistencies ('how... desert, formed' instead of 'how... desert is formed', 'winds approach' instead of 'winds approaching', 'after that finally the rain falls'), article omissions, and prepositions inside grammatical patterns ('reach the land on the other side of the mountais'). These errors require some effort to decode but rarely cause complete communication breakdown.

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

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