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 image illustrates the formation of rain- shadow desert. which is the a type of desert.

Overall, the process consists of seven stages of 'desert' formation, beginning with 'wind approach coast' and ending with 'dry winds reach inland areas'.

Initially, the winds from coast gradually rising upward with multiple stages. Here, These stages included the moving upwards, getting moist and cold, turned into clouds and fall as rain simultaneously.

On the other hand, the journey of wind continued downwards. Here, image shows two stages subsequently, dry air continues over mountain and dry winds reach inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as a sequence and give its broad start and finish, while also mentioning the main events: air rises, clouds form, rain falls, and dry air crosses the mountain. However, the account is only partial and under-developed. It does not clearly explain the key cause-and-effect pattern: moist air from the sea is forced up the windward slope, cools and produces rain, leaving dry air to descend on the leeward side and reach inland areas, where the rain-shadow desert forms. The desert’s location and the windward/leeward contrast are not clearly reported. The response is also below the required 150 words, limiting the detail available. Develop the overview and describe each side of the mountain more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs that separate the rising air from its later movement inland. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially” and “subsequently” help the reader follow the process, and the final paragraph appropriately moves to the later stages. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. “On the other hand” suggests a contrast, although the wind’s downward journey is the next part of the same process, and repeated “Here” does not clarify how the stages connect. The sentence beginning “Initially” also groups several stages together without a clear progression. Use more precise links such as “As a result” and “After crossing the peak,” and make each stage’s relationship explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “formation,” “stages,” “moist,” “clouds,” “rain,” and “dry air,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, which reduces precision: “wind approach coast,” “getting moist and cold,” and “turned into clouds” do not describe the diagram clearly. “Rain-shadow desert” is used in the introduction but not connected explicitly to the inland area where it forms. Aim for accurate collocations and process terms, for example “winds approach the coast,” “moist air rises and cools,” and “clouds form before precipitation falls.” Avoid using quotation marks around ordinary process terms, and use the diagram’s labels consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts at longer sentences and sequencing, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make the process difficult to follow. The opening contains several problems: “rain- shadow desert. which is the a type” has faulty punctuation, a sentence fragment, and incorrect article use. In “the winds from coast gradually rising upward,” the verb form is incomplete and the article is missing. The phrase “These stages included the moving upwards, getting moist and cold, turned into clouds and fall as rain” shifts between verb forms and does not maintain a clear grammatical structure. Use a consistent present simple for process descriptions, with complete clauses—for example, “The winds rise over the mountains, where the moist air cools and forms clouds.” Check articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries carefully.

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

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