Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 how rain desert is formed.

Overall, the process begins with the formation of moist winds from the sea and ends with the rain desert on the otherside of the mountain. Rainfall is only at the side of windward, while leeward side remains dry because of dry air.

The whole process is divided into 7 steps, at first wind contains moisture from sea move upward around the mountain, where it gets cool and steadily move forward. At fourth step air is converted into the clouds, these clouds are then become the reason of heavy rain at windward side of the mountain.

On the other side of the mountains, air gets dry and move downward after covering distance of thousand of kilometres over the mountain, and then coverted into dry winds to different inland areas. This area remains free of rainfall because of dryness of air.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main sequence and give an overview: moist air comes from the sea, rain falls on the windward side, and a dry inland area forms beyond the mountain. These are relevant central features. However, some stages are unclear or inaccurately described: the winds are pushed upwards by the mountains, rather than simply moving upward “around” them, and the diagram shows dry air continuing over the mountain before dry winds reach inland, not air moving downward after travelling thousands of kilometres. The overview could explain more clearly how cooling leads to cloud formation and rainfall, and the final stage is only briefly covered. The response is also three words below the required minimum, so it does not fully meet the task’s length requirement. Add a little precise detail to complete the process.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the stages. The sequence is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “At fourth step” and “On the other side” help signal progression. However, some links between stages are not fully clear: “where it gets cool and steadily move forward” does not clearly distinguish rising, cooling, and cloud formation, while “and then converted into dry winds” makes the final sequence difficult to follow. The overview also repeats the contrast between rainfall and dryness that appears later. Use more precise stage-to-stage links, and ensure each sentence clearly identifies what is happening and where.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist winds,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “clouds,” and “inland areas,” which allows the reader to understand the general topic. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “rain desert,” “air is converted into the clouds,” and “free of rainfall because of dryness of air.” These expressions make parts of the process sound less precise than the diagram. There are also spelling errors in “otherside” and “coverted.” Aim for accurate terms such as “rain-shadow desert,” “clouds form,” and “receives little or no rainfall.” This would make the description more natural and technically clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the overview sentence beginning “Rainfall is only…” and the longer description of the clouds and rain. However, errors are frequent, and some sentence structures are faulty. For example, “wind contains moisture from sea move upward” lacks clear subject–verb agreement and sentence structure; “these clouds are then become” combines incompatible verb forms; and “air gets dry and move downward” has an agreement error. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent, as in “from sea” and “thousand of kilometres.” Practise forming accurate clauses with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and verb forms before adding extra clauses. More reliable sentence control is needed for the process to read smoothly.

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

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