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)

In this report i am going to describe a flowchart. The flowchart illustrate that how rain-shadow deserts form. It summarize the process how winds from sea approach mountain coasts and how dry winds reach inland areas of rain-shadow desert.

The winds from sea reaches the coast of mountain which is basically beside the sea. Additionally, the wind forced to incline swiftly through the mountain from Windward side and when reach at mid height of mountain where the tempreture of the air cool down and converted into clouds. Afterwards, Rain falls from the clouds from above of the mountain However, rain falls the air turn into dry and dipped down to mountain through Leeward side and now finally, the dry winds reach inland areas of Rain-shadow desert.

To conclude, the flowchart demonstrates the process of converting clouds and falls rain from air. and after that migrates to the areas of inland of rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main process and include its broad direction: sea winds approach the coast, rise over the mountains, produce rain, and continue inland as dry winds. This gives the reader a relevant account of the diagram. However, the overview is not sufficiently clear or accurate: the conclusion describes “converting clouds and falls rain from air,” rather than summarising how the mountain’s windward side receives rain while the leeward inland area becomes a rain-shadow desert. Some stages are also unclear or imprecise, such as saying the air “dipped down to mountain.” To strengthen the response, state the overall cause-and-effect pattern clearly, then report the stages in order, including that rising air cools, clouds form, and rain falls before the remaining dry air crosses the mountain.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to a description of the stages and then a conclusion. Sequencing expressions such as “Additionally,” “Afterwards,” and “finally” help show the process order. However, the second paragraph places many stages in one long sentence, so the relationships between them become difficult to follow; “However” also does not express a clear contrast in this context. The conclusion repeats the process without providing a clear summary, and the reference in “after that migrates” is unclear. Use separate sentences or paragraphs for the rising, rainfall, and inland stages, and choose linking words that accurately show sequence and cause.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “flowchart,” “Windward side,” “Leeward side,” “clouds,” and “dry winds,” which helps communicate the topic. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “incline” and “mid height,” but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural and sometimes obscure the meaning. For example, “converted into clouds” does not describe the air’s process, and “dipped down to mountain” is not a natural description of descending air. Spelling errors such as “tempreture” and “summarize” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process collocations and check spelling; for instance, describe air as rising, cooling, and descending rather than being converted or dipped.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sequence joined with “when” and “afterwards.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries frequently make the account awkward to read. Examples include “The flowchart illustrate,” “The winds … reaches,” and “the wind forced to incline,” where the verb forms or sentence construction are faulty. The long sentence beginning “Additionally” also contains several clauses joined without clear punctuation, while the final sentence has a fragment after “and.” Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and tense consistently. Breaking the process into shorter sentences would also help you control complex structures.

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