Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 one type of dessert known as rain-shadow dessert.

Overall, the diagram shows the formation of rain-shadow dessert, that starts with sea and moved upward in mountains and end in inland areas. There are two sides windward side and leeward side of mountains that spread thousands of kilometers.

Firstly, begin with sea were winds approached to coast and then how winds moved upward to form moist air. Moist air raised and cooled down to form clouds. There are two sides of mountains; windward side and leeward side. Cloud formation making rain in windward side. Then rain was fallen.

Then the other side is leeward side of mountains where dry air will continue to form dry wind. Then at last dry wind will be reached in inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a rain-shadow desert’s formation and include several key stages: winds approach the coast, air rises and cools, clouds form, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air continues inland. However, the account is only partial and some stages are unclear or inaccurately described. For example, the winds are pushed upwards by the mountains; they do not simply “move upward to form moist air,” since the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling. The overview also does not clearly explain the central contrast: rain falls on the windward side, while dry winds create a desert inland on the leeward side. The response is 18 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail available. Add a clearer overview and explain the full sequence more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the broad order of the process, moving from the sea and coast to the mountains and then inland. The use of “Firstly” and “Then” helps signal sequence, and the paragraph break gives some separation between the two sides of the mountain. However, progression is not consistently clear: “Overall” is followed by an unclear summary, and “There are two sides” is repeated without adding much information. Some links are awkward, such as “Then rain was fallen,” while “Then the other side is leeward side” does not connect smoothly to the preceding stage. Organise the response into a concise overview followed by stages in sequence, and use clear references such as “on the leeward side” to avoid repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “clouds,” and “dry wind,” so the reader can recognise the main subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the description less clear. In particular, “dessert” is a spelling error for “desert,” and “dry air will continue to form dry wind” does not express the diagram’s sequence precisely. Phrases such as “cloud formation making rain” and “rain was fallen” are also unnatural. Aim for accurate process verbs and collocations, for example, “air rises,” “condenses,” “precipitation falls,” and “dry air descends,” while avoiding repeated use of “form” and “then.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates the general sequence, but grammatical control is inconsistent and the sentence structures are mostly simple, with attempts at longer constructions often faulty. Examples include “Overall, the diagram shows the formation … that starts with sea and moved upward,” where the relative clause and verb forms do not fit together, and “Firstly, begin with sea were winds approached to coast,” which has an incomplete construction and unclear tense. There are also errors in articles and sentence formation, as in “in windward side” and “Then rain was fallen.” Use a consistent present tense for a process diagram and build complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, such as “The winds rise over the mountains, causing the moist air to cool.”

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