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 schematic diagram illustrates the formation of rain-shadow desert by the movement of wind across the land sea and mountains.Initially winds approaching the coasts are pushed upward due to low temperature.At a altitude the moist air is cooled and condensed to from clouds.Consequently the vapours in the clouds disperse water droplets in form of rain.On the contrary the dry air continue to move beyond the mountains on leeward side.The dry winds travel thousands of kilometres reaching the inland areas where it is accumulates the dust particles.The dry winds along with the dust particles are transformed into the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main process: moist air rises over the mountains, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air continues inland on the leeward side. However, the account is only partial and some details are unclear or unsupported. For example, the diagram does not say that the winds rise “due to low temperature,” nor that dust particles accumulate to form the desert; these additions distract from the key cause-and-effect sequence. There is also no clear overview summarising how the mountain creates a dry inland area. The response is 99 words, below the required 150, so several stages are left underdeveloped. To improve, describe each labelled stage accurately and explain that the rain shadow forms because moisture is lost before the air reaches inland areas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, moving from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially” and “Consequently” help show progression, and the contrast introduced by “On the contrary” signals a change from rainfall to dry conditions. However, the response is one continuous paragraph, and some links are not quite appropriate: “On the contrary” suggests a direct contradiction rather than the next stage of the process. The final sentence also repeats the idea of dry winds without clearly connecting it to the formation of the desert. Use a short overview followed by a clearly ordered process description, with linking phrases that express sequence and cause more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “condensed,” “vapours,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas.” These terms show an attempt to describe the diagram rather than relying only on basic words. Some choices, however, are inaccurate or awkward in context: “disperse water droplets” does not clearly describe rainfall, and “transformed into the rain-shadow desert” gives an imprecise account of how the desert forms. “Land sea” is also unclear as a description of the setting. Aim for precise collocations commonly used in process descriptions, such as air “rising,” moisture “condensing,” and rain “falling.” This would make the explanation clearer while retaining the useful technical vocabulary you already use.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes both simple statements and attempts at more complex sequencing, so the process is usually understandable. However, grammatical errors occur in several sentences. For example, “At a altitude” has an article error, “the dry air continue” has subject–verb disagreement, and “where it is accumulates” combines incompatible verb forms. The opening also needs clearer sentence boundaries and punctuation, while “formation of rain-shadow desert” requires an article. These errors sometimes make the relationships between stages harder to follow. Practise checking articles, agreement, and verb forms, especially in longer sentences. A reliable pattern such as “As the moist air rises, it cools and condenses” would help you express the stages accurately.

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.