Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 the formation of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the rain-shadow desert formed by 7 various steps. Starting from sea, wnd approach coast and travelled thousands of kilometers to inland and formed rain-shadow desert.

In first step the winds approch coast from sea and pushed upwards in second step. In third step moist air rises through the windward side of the mountains and the temprature cools down after this stage clouds are formed. Meanwhile, in the fifth step the rain fall started and the dry air continues over mountain went through leeward side of the mountains.

In seventh step when dry winds reached in inland area the rain shadow desert formed. In this whole process the wind travelled thousands of kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as the formation of a rain-shadow desert and include several key stages: winds arrive from the sea, rise over the mountains, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air continues inland. However, the account is brief and some stages are compressed or unclear; for example, cloud formation and cooling are not clearly separated, and the final link between dry winds and desert formation is only briefly stated. The overview also says the winds travel thousands of kilometres, but this is a scale label rather than a distinct process stage. The response is 121 words, below the required 150. To develop the report, describe each stage more fully and clarify how rainfall on one side leaves the inland leeward area dry.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the general order of the diagram, using “In first step,” “In third step,” and “In seventh step” to guide the reader through the process. The opening and overview also give the report a basic structure. However, the stages are grouped into a small number of dense sentences, and the sequence is not always easy to follow: “after this stage clouds are formed” and “Meanwhile” do not clearly show the relationship between cooling, cloud formation, and rainfall. The repeated references to steps make the organisation somewhat mechanical, while the final sentence repeats the distance point from the overview. Use separate sentences or paragraphs for the overview and the sequence, and connect each stage with precise links such as “as a result” and “then.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” and “dry air,” which helps communicate the main features. The range is nevertheless limited, with repeated use of “step,” “wind,” and “formed,” and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “the rain fall started” and “travelled thousands of kilometers to inland.” Spelling errors such as “approch,” “temprature,” and “wnd” also make the writing less controlled. Build a wider set of accurate process verbs and phrases, for example “ascend,” “cool,” “condense,” and “precipitation occurs,” and check spelling carefully. This would make the description more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence with “after this stage,” and the reader can generally understand the process. However, errors occur frequently in sentence construction and verb forms. For example, “Overall, the rain-shadow desert formed by 7 various steps” is missing an auxiliary, while “winds approch coast from sea and pushed upwards” shifts tense and omits articles. The long sentence beginning “In third step” joins several stages without clear punctuation, making the relationships harder to follow. Use consistent present simple for a diagram description (“forms,” “rises,” “falls”), add articles where needed (“the coast,” “the sea”), and divide multi-stage sentences into shorter, accurately punctuated units.

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