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 chart illustrate the process in which a particular type of desert converted into a rain shadow desert.

Overall, it consit of seven main steps, starting from winds flow upward side of the mountain and two main steps that located in winward side, who responsible for rainy clouds and lee ward side, that flow dry winds over the mountain and when this air reached inland area, create rain shadow deserts.

To begin with, winds approach mountain through costle area of sea and make cools air after mixting with mosture nearest to the windward side of the mountain. Although, this causes clouds to form and falls rain over the mountain.

After rain fall, having lost most of mosture through rain fall, these winds continue flow over the mountain and become dry when reached to the downside nearest to the leeward side. Meanwhile, when this winds arrived in inland areas it create rain shadow desert that spaning thousand of killomtres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the process as a sequence and include its main stages: winds approach from the sea, rise and cool, clouds form, rain falls on the windward side, and drier air moves inland to create a desert. The overview also recognises the contrast between the windward and leeward sides. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the opening says the desert is “converted into” a rain-shadow desert, and the account does not clearly explain that the mountains force the moist air upwards. The final reference to a desert spanning “thousand of kilometres” misreads the diagram’s horizontal scale, which indicates thousands of kilometres across the landscape rather than the desert’s stated size. Clarifying these points and developing the stages more precisely would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the process in sequence. Transitions such as “To begin with” and “After rain fall” help the reader follow the stages. However, some connections are awkward or unclear, particularly the overview’s long sentence linking the two mountain sides and the desert’s formation. “Although” introduces a clause that does not contrast with the preceding idea, and “Meanwhile” does not express a clear relationship between the dry winds and the desert. The sequence would be easier to follow if each stage were linked with precise cause-and-effect language and the overview were divided into clearer statements. Overall, the organisation is coherent, but cohesion is sometimes mechanical or imprecise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moisture,” “clouds,” and “rain shadow desert,” which helps communicate the topic. There is also an attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “having lost most of moisture.” However, spelling errors are frequent, including “consit,” “winward,” “mosture,” and “killomtres,” and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “converted into” does not describe the formation process naturally, while “make cools air” is unclear. Repetition of “rain fall” also limits precision. Aim to use accurate process verbs and check spelling carefully; for example, “is formed,” “is forced upwards,” and “precipitation” would express the stages more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a cause-and-effect construction beginning “After rain fall, having lost most of mosture…”. However, control is uneven, and errors sometimes make relationships difficult to understand. For example, “The chart illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “these winds continue flow” is missing the infinitive marker “to.” The overview’s clause beginning “who responsible” is incomplete, and “when this air reached inland area, create” lacks a clear subject and consistent verb form. Articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries also need attention. Practise building accurate clauses first, then combine them with connectors such as “as,” “which,” and “therefore.” More reliable control of these structures would improve clarity while retaining your attempts at complexity.

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