Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 digram describes about the formation of a type of desert, known as rain shadow desert.

Overall, the desert formed on the other side of the sea and the mountains. Winds coming from the sea to costal area covers thousands of kilometers and requires multiple steps to reaches to an inland areas from the Leeward side of mountains to turned an inland into rain-shadow desert.

From the seashore, winds hitted at the costal area and tends to be pushed on the upward side toward mountains. Where the moisturizer content of air increases and air becomes cool and then clouds formation occures. Afterthat rain falls on the windward side on the moutntains and water flow back towards the sea.

However, the dry air continues to flow over mountain on the Leewad side and reaches towards the inland areas.The air particles settle there and turned inland areas into the rain-shadow desert. The air particles travels thousands of kilometers in whole of this process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response identifies the main process and gives a general overview: winds move from the sea across the mountains, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air reaches inland to create a rain-shadow desert. It also includes the diagram’s long-distance scale. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear. The statement that “the moisturizer content of air increases” reverses the process: moist air rises and cools, leading to cloud formation and rain. “Water flow back towards the sea” is not shown, and the desert is not formed by air particles settling; rather, dry winds reach the inland area beyond the leeward side. Clarifying these stages and avoiding unsupported additions would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence, moving from an overview to the coastal and mountain stages, then to the inland outcome. Paragraphing helps distinguish the overview from the process details, and connectors such as “Overall,” “Afterthat,” and “However” signal progression. Some links are nevertheless mechanical or unclear. For example, “Where the moisturizer content of air increases” is a fragment whose connection to the preceding sentence is uncertain, while “However” suggests a contrast that is not really present. The final sentence repeats the distance information already mentioned in the overview. Use clearer stage-to-stage links and ensure each sentence has an explicit relationship to the process.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “Leeward side,” “inland areas,” and “rain-shadow desert,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, word choice and spelling errors are noticeable and sometimes make the description difficult to interpret. “Moisturizer content” is not the appropriate term for the moisture in air, and “air particles settle” does not accurately describe dry winds reaching inland. There are also misspellings such as “digram,” “costal,” “occures,” and “moutntains,” alongside awkward phrases such as “hitted at the costal area.” Build a more accurate process vocabulary and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence linked by “and then” and a contrast introduced with “However.” Some grammatical errors remain, though the overall process can usually be followed. Examples include subject–verb and verb-form problems in “Winds … covers” and “air particles … turned,” as well as the infinitive construction “to reaches.” The sentence beginning “Where the moisturizer content…” is incomplete, and “from the Leeward side of mountains to turned an inland” has an unclear grammatical structure. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent, as in “an inland areas.” Aim for complete clauses and consistent tense, and check agreement and verb forms when describing each stage.

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