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 process diagram illustrates the formation of a type of desert called a rain-shadow desert.

To begin with the first step, initially, the wind approaches the coast of the sea. Later on, it pushed upwards towards the windward side of a mountain range that is spread in thousands of kilometres area. In the next step, moist add rises and cools there and formation of clouds takes place. After that, rainfalls occur from the clouds. Later on, the dry air continues to flow on the leeward side of the same mountains and further reach to inland area. Finally, the inline area gradually converts into rain-shadow desert.

To sum up, the process of formation of rain-shadow desert is quiet lengthy and involves a variety of stages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the diagram’s subject and report the main sequence, including wind approaching the coast, rising on the windward side, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air moving inland. However, the account is brief and some stages are not fully or accurately explained: the final change is described as the inland area “gradually converts” into desert, whereas the diagram shows dry winds reaching inland areas where the rain-shadow desert is located. The overview that the process is “quite lengthy” is vague and does not summarise its key cause-and-effect pattern. The response also falls 25 words short of the required minimum, limiting the detail available. Develop the overview and explain how moisture loss on the windward side leaves dry air on the leeward side.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and the paragraph break separates the process description from a concluding statement. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “In the next step,” and “Finally” help readers follow the progression. However, the repeated step markers make the cohesion somewhat mechanical, and the final “To sum up” sentence adds little beyond the opening. Some references are also unclear, particularly “there” in “moist add rises and cools there,” which could refer to the coast or mountain. Grouping related stages into clearer sentences and using precise references to the windward and leeward sides would make the progression smoother and more cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist,” “clouds,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some variation in how stages are described, such as “formation … takes place.” However, several choices are inaccurate or awkward: “rainfalls occur” is not a natural way to describe precipitation, “inline area” appears to be a mistaken form of “inland area,” and “quiet lengthy” confuses “quite” with “quiet.” “Spread in thousands of kilometres area” is also an unclear description of the scale. Aim for precise process collocations and check spelling and word forms; for example, use “precipitation falls” and “dry winds reach inland areas.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple and more developed sentence forms, including the sequence “moist … rises and cools … and formation of clouds takes place.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. In “Later on, it pushed upwards,” the past-tense verb does not match the present-tense description used elsewhere; “it is pushed” or “the wind rises” would be consistent. “Dry air continues to flow … and further reach” also has faulty verb coordination, while “the inline area gradually converts” uses an unsuitable verb pattern for the intended meaning. There is some control of sentence construction, but more consistent present-tense forms and accurate verb patterns are needed to make the description reliable.

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