Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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 rendered process illustrates the information about how one kind of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, its formation.

Overall, this process has total 7 steps. It is start from winds approach coast and ends with dry winds reach inland areas.

Initially, winds travel above the sea, then winds pushed upwards to the top of the mountains, after that moist air rises and become cools and develop in clouds form in fourth step. Following this, rain falls on the windward side from the peak of the mountains, next dry air continues over mountains to leeward side in the east direction of the mountains. Finally, dry winds reach inland areas, therefore a rain-shadow desert is formed. This is the process of thousands of kilometres from the sea coast to inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and include its main stages, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas, with rain falling on the windward side and a desert forming beyond the mountains. However, the overview is limited to the number and endpoints of the steps, rather than explaining the key contrast between moist air losing its rain on the windward side and dry air continuing to the leeward side. Some details are unclear or imprecise, such as saying winds travel “above the sea” and that the desert is formed “therefore” the winds reach inland. The response is also 27 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail available. Develop the causal links and describe the diagram’s main spatial relationships more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “Following this,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process. The response also has an overall beginning-to-end progression. However, nearly all the information is compressed into one paragraph, and the repeated use of “then,” “after that,” and “next” makes the linking somewhat mechanical. Some connections are unclear: “therefore a rain-shadow desert is formed” does not clearly explain how the dry air’s movement leads to desert conditions. Organise the response into a brief overview and a separate description of the stages, and use links that express cause and contrast as well as sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some variety in the verbs used to describe the process, such as “travel,” “rises,” and “continues.” However, several phrases are awkward or imprecise, including “the information about how … its formation,” “develop in clouds form,” and “in the east direction of the mountains.” These choices sometimes make the description less natural, even though the general meaning remains understandable. Aim for accurate process collocations, such as “air cools and condenses,” “clouds form,” and “dry air moves down the leeward slope.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to combine stages using subordinate clauses and sequencing phrases, for example, “after that moist air rises” and “next dry air continues over mountains.” However, control is inconsistent, and several sentence structures are faulty. In “this process has total 7 steps,” the article and construction are missing; “It is start from” has an incorrect verb form; and “become cools” combines incompatible verb patterns. The long middle sentence also joins many stages without clear punctuation, making its structure difficult to follow. Use a wider range of controlled sentence patterns, check subject–verb forms and articles, and separate the stages into shorter sentences where needed.

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