Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 diagram illustrates how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Overall, it is evident that the process consists of seven stages, beginning with the winds approach coast and ending with the dry winds reaching the inland areas. Also, the whole process is directed towards the mountain.

Initially, winds are approaching the coast, then the winds are pushed towards upwards direction. After that, moist air rises and cools. After that, air moves towards the windward side, where the clouds are formed. Following this, the rainfall starts. These five steps are done in the windward side of the mountains.

Once this is completed, dry air continues to move on the leeward side over the mountain. Finally, dry winds reach to the inland areas, where the formation of a rain-shadow desert occurs.

The whole process begins at sea, and it ends inland. The distance from the coast to the rain-shadow desert is thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and give a clear overall start and finish: winds approach from the coast, and dry winds eventually reach inland areas where the desert forms. You also correctly distinguish the windward and leeward sides and mention the thousands-of-kilometres scale. However, some details are unclear or not fully supported: “the whole process is directed towards the mountain” is imprecise, and the account of air moving to the windward side after it rises and cools does not clearly explain the diagram’s sequence. The response contains 145 words, below the required 150; the 13 words copied from the prompt are excluded from this count. Add a little more precise explanation of how moisture is lost before the dry air crosses the mountain.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the windward stages and then the leeward and inland stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “Following this,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical because “After that” is repeated, and “These five steps” requires the reader to count back through the preceding stages. The final two sentences also repeat the start-to-finish information already given in the overview. To improve progression, group related stages more smoothly and use clearer references, while avoiding repeated summaries.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “rain-shadow desert,” so the main subject is communicated. However, the range is somewhat limited and several phrases are imprecise or awkward, such as “pushed towards upwards direction,” “the rainfall starts,” and “reach to the inland areas.” Repetition of “winds,” “air,” and “After that” also limits flexibility. Aim for more precise process collocations and vary the verbs used to describe movement and change. For example, describe air as being forced upward, cooling and producing clouds, then losing moisture as rain falls before continuing inland.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some longer structures, including the overview sentence with “beginning” and “ending,” and the clause “where the formation of a rain-shadow desert occurs.” The sequence is generally understandable, but some grammatical patterns are inaccurate. In “the winds approach coast,” the article is missing, while “pushed towards upwards direction” has an awkward and incomplete structure. “Winds are approaching” and “the rainfall starts” also use less suitable tense or aspect for describing a general process. In addition, “reach to the inland areas” uses an incorrect preposition pattern. Practise present simple forms for process descriptions and check articles and verb-preposition combinations.

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

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