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 given diagram illustrates the information about how a type of desert known as rain-shadow desert is formed through various steps. i

Overall, looking at the diagram, the rain-shadow desert is formed by some steps. To begin with, wind from the surface of sea rises and pushed upwords. In next step, moist air rises and cools through windward side. Then, the cool and moist transformed into clouds. The clouds become heavy with drops and rain began to fall in the fifth stage.

Furthermore, dry air continues over mountain from leeward side. Air flows downwards. In addition, dry winds reach the inland areas and flow straight forward. As a result, one type of desert that also called rain-shadow desert formed following these numerious stages. These steps cover a long distance of thousands of kilometers.

In conclusion, these were the essential steps to form the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process and report its main sequence, including rising moist air, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry winds reaching inland areas. The description of the windward and leeward sides also shows awareness of the diagram’s key geography. However, the overview is repetitive and does not clearly summarise the central cause-and-effect pattern: moist air loses its water on the windward side, leaving dry air to cross the mountains and create a desert inland. Some details are unclear or unsupported, such as saying the wind comes “from the surface of sea.” The response is also five words below the required minimum. Develop the overview and explain the stages more precisely to cover the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to the stages and then a concluding sentence. Sequencing expressions such as “To begin with,” “Then,” and “Furthermore” help the reader follow the process, and the stages are generally presented in the correct order. However, the overview repeats the idea that the desert forms through steps, and the final “In conclusion” sentence largely repeats this rather than adding a useful summary. Some links feel mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “In addition” and “As a result.” Group the stages into a clearer progression—windward ascent and rainfall, followed by dry air crossing inland—and use references that make the relationships between stages explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “clouds,” and “dry winds,” so the reader can understand the subject. There is some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “flow straight forward.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “the cool and moist transformed into clouds” and “clouds become heavy with drops” do not express the process clearly. Spelling errors such as “upwords” and “numerious” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process collocations, for example, “moist air cools and condenses to form clouds” and “precipitation falls on the windward side.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use some simple sentences and attempt longer structures, including “As a result, one type of desert … formed following these numerous stages.” The sequence is usually understandable, but grammatical control is inconsistent, and several errors affect clarity. For example, “wind … rises and pushed” shifts verb form, while “the cool and moist transformed into clouds” lacks a clear noun and a suitable verb construction. “In next step” also needs an article, and “desert … formed” needs an auxiliary or a present-tense verb. Use the present simple consistently for a process diagram, and practise complete clauses such as “The air cools, forming clouds, before rain falls.”

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