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 depicts the process of formation of rain shadow desert in 7 stages. Overall it starts with the movement of the wind along the mountains one side, formation of clouds and rainfall followed by drying of the wind to the other side of the mountain, approaching the inland and transforming the dessert into rain shadow dessert.

In the initial stage, the winds reaches the sea coast and slowly moves up towards the windward side of the mountain. As it rises, the air becomes moist and cools resulting in cloud formation.

After this stage the clouds reach at the top of the mountains and starts raining. Due to the snow covered mountains, dry air continues to move ahead along the leeward side. Eventually, the dry winds reach the inland areas, thus creating a rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main sequence from coastal winds to inland desert and include an overview, which addresses the central process. However, some details are incomplete or inaccurate: the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form, but your wording says the air becomes moist as it rises. The claim that the mountains are snow-covered is not shown, and the explanation that this causes the air to dry is therefore unsupported. The overview also describes the wind moving “along the mountains one side,” which is unclear. The response is 14 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail available. To strengthen the report, explain the windward-to-leeward contrast accurately and add relevant stages without introducing causes absent from the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introductory overview is followed by the early stages and then the later stages. Sequencing phrases such as “In the initial stage,” “As it rises,” and “After this stage” help the reader follow the process. The progression is coherent, although the overview’s phrase “along the mountains one side” makes the direction difficult to understand, and “After this stage” does not specify clearly which stage is being referred to. The final sentence provides a logical endpoint. For stronger cohesion, use more precise references to the windward and leeward sides and connect each stage explicitly, rather than relying on broad time markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “cloud formation,” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Dessert” is used instead of “desert” several times, and “rain shadow desert” would be clearer as “rain-shadow desert.” The phrase “the clouds reach at the top” is not a natural way to describe the diagram, while “transforming the dessert into” gives an inaccurate impression of the process. Aim for precise process verbs and check spelling carefully; a wider range of accurate terms such as “ascend,” “condense,” and “precipitation” would make the description more exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including the subordinate clause “As it rises” and the result construction “resulting in cloud formation.” The main sequence remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. In “the winds reaches” and “the clouds … starts,” plural subjects take singular verbs; use “reach” and “start.” The opening sentence also lacks an article in “formation of rain shadow desert,” and “the wind along the mountains one side” has an unclear grammatical structure. There is also an awkward participial ending in “approaching the inland and transforming…”. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence construction, while retaining your attempts to combine stages into complex sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.