Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 provided diagram illusturates that how one kind of desert, to be known as rain-shadow desert is foemed.

Overall,the formation of rain-shadow desert consistof 7 stages. begginning with the wind approach coast step and ended with the dry winds reach inland areas.

Now turning the details, firstly, the winds can approach to the sea and wind pushed upwards to the mountains and when wind come travel towindward area then the air become coller.After this process, thee wind changed into a cloud forms and when cloud reached coldest place then the rain fallen begginng.

After rain falling,dry air countinous over mountain towards the leeward side while at the end, dry winds reach inland areas. That's inland area called a rain-shadow desert.The distance between coast or inland areas approximately distance thousands of kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give its overall direction, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. You also mention the key outcome: the inland area is called a rain-shadow desert. However, several central stages are unclear or inaccurately described: the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling, clouds forming, and rain falling on the windward side, rather than wind changing into a cloud or rain beginning only at the coldest place. The scale is also misreported as a distance between the coast and inland, when it indicates thousands of kilometres horizontally. The response is 19 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail available. Describe each stage more precisely and include a fuller overview of how the mountain creates the dry leeward area.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Now turning the details,” “After this process,” and “while at the end” help signal progression. However, the stages are compressed into long, loosely connected sentences, so the sequence is not always easy to follow. For example, the sentence beginning “firstly” combines the winds approaching, being pushed upwards, and the air cooling without clearly separating these steps. Some links are also awkward or unclear, including “when cloud reached coldest place.” Use one or two sentences for each group of stages, and connect them with precise sequence markers such as “as a result” and “subsequently.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “windward,” “leeward side,” “dry air,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which shows awareness of the diagram’s terminology. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the description difficult to understand: “the wind changed into a cloud forms,” “the rain fallen,” and “distance thousands of kilometers.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “illusturates,” “foemed,” and “countinous.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe air as “rising and cooling,” say that “clouds form” and “rain falls,” and explain that dry air “continues across the mountain” before reaching inland areas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine stages using clauses and sequencing phrases, but the range of sentence structures is limited and complex sentences are often faulty. Examples include “illusturates that how,” “the formation … consistof 7 stages,” and “when wind come travel towindward area then the air become coller.” These contain problems with clause structure, subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb forms. The sentence “After rain falling, dry air countinous over mountain” also lacks a correctly formed verb phrase. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, particularly around commas and sentence openings. Practise writing clear present-simple process sentences, such as “Moist air rises over the mountains and cools,” then check each sentence for a subject, a correctly conjugated verb, and necessary articles.

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