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 natural process to form rain shadow desert.

Overall , sea and mountain used as an natural process.it involved 7 stages started from winds approach and ends in dry winds. natural sea and mountains turned clouds . several other stages also went through like moist air , clouds form and rain falls.

in first stage , wind blow up from sea and coast pushed it upwards to form moist air.moist air rises and it becomes cool to form clouds.windward side changed cool air into clouds . here now air formed as a cloud to drops its water.

Furthermore, these clouds becomes heavy in the sky and cannot travel with heavy weight , so it drops in the form of water like a rain falls on earth. now clouds dropped all water , while continues to travel over the mountain according to downward side of the mountain. At finally, dry winds reached inland areas and formed a rain shadow desert .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and you identify the rain-shadow desert as the outcome. The overview also recognises that the process has several stages. However, some important details are unclear or inaccurately explained: the diagram shows winds being pushed upwards over the mountains, where moist air cools, clouds form and rain falls on the windward side. Your account says “wind blow up from sea and coast pushed it upwards,” which blurs the sequence, and the claim that clouds become heavy and cannot travel is an explanation not shown in the diagram. The contrast between the wet windward side and dry leeward side could be made clearer. A more precise account of these stages would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows the process in broadly chronological order, and paragraphing separates the overview from the detailed stages. Connectors such as “in first stage,” “Furthermore,” and “At finally” help signal progression. However, some links are mechanical or unclear, and the overview repeats details that are then described again. References such as “it” in “pushed it upwards” and “these clouds” do not always make the intended subject clear. The sentence beginning “Overall” also combines several ideas without a clear relationship. To improve, organise the stages into a concise overview and a clearly sequenced description, using precise references and transitions that show cause and sequence rather than adding loosely connected statements.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “windward side,” “inland areas,” and “rain shadow desert,” so the reader can follow the general topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the description difficult to interpret. For example, “natural process to form” and “natural sea and mountains turned clouds” do not express the process clearly, while “drops its water” and “heavy weight” are imprecise for describing precipitation. Some terms from the diagram could be used more consistently, especially “leeward side” and “dry air.” Aim for accurate process collocations and avoid inventing explanations that the diagram does not provide.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a sequence of clauses describing air rising, cooling and forming clouds. However, errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement and articles occur across the response and sometimes obscure meaning. Examples include “it involved 7 stages started from,” “wind blow up,” and “these clouds becomes heavy.” There are also incomplete or awkward constructions, such as “while continues to travel,” where the subject is missing, and punctuation spacing is inconsistent. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and tense in each clause. More accurate control of these basic patterns would make your process description easier to understand.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.