Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 process chart illustrates how formation of a type of desert which is famous as a rain-shadow desert, takes place. Overall, there are seven stages in the process, beginning with wind approach coast and ends with dry winds reach inland areas.

To begin, winds that approach coast came from the sea and then being pushed upwards to mountains which then the moist in the air rises and gets cool from the windward siide and then form clouds after this the rain starts falling when reach the top of mountains.\

In the subsequent stage, the dry air continuous to pass over the mountain and goes down through leeward side of the mountains and dry winds reach the inland areas for the formation of desertsnwhich is also called rain-shadow desert.

The distance from the coast of the mountains to the rain shadow desert are of thousands of kilometers from which process the wind goes to form clouds and then rain falls and reaches inland

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a relevant overall sequence, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. You also include the key contrast between the rainy windward side and the dry leeward side, and correctly locate the rain-shadow desert inland. However, some stages are less fully explained: the account of moist air rising, cooling and forming clouds is compressed and difficult to follow, while the final paragraph repeats the distance information without clearly explaining its significance. The diagram indicates a horizontal scale of thousands of kilometres, not that the wind itself travels that distance as part of a stated process. A clearer overview and more precise explanation of how rainfall leaves dry air to continue inland would make the main features more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by the windward stages and then the leeward stages. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin” and “In the subsequent stage” help the reader follow the process. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and several stages are joined into long strings with repeated “and then” or “after this,” making the order harder to track. The second paragraph, for example, combines the upward movement, cooling, cloud formation and rainfall in one sentence. The final paragraph also repeats earlier information rather than adding a clearly connected concluding point. Use separate sentences for distinct stages and refer to each stage clearly to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “dry air” and “rain-shadow desert,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some attempt to vary wording, such as “approach” and “pass over.” However, several choices are inaccurate or awkward: “famous as” does not naturally describe the desert type, “the moist in the air” is unclear, and “for the formation of deserts” is imprecise. Spelling and typing slips such as “siide” and “desertsnwhich” also reduce clarity. Aim for accurate collocations and concise process verbs, for example, “is known as,” “moist air,” and “descends on the leeward side.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “which is also called rain-shadow desert” and a sequence linked with “when.” However, control is uneven, and some sentence structures make the process difficult to understand. For example, “winds that approach coast came from the sea and then being pushed upwards” shifts from a present-tense description to an incomplete passive construction. In “the moist in the air rises and gets cool,” the subject and verb pattern are not formed correctly, and the long second-paragraph sentence lacks clear punctuation between stages. Use the present simple consistently for a process, form passive clauses accurately where appropriate, and divide linked stages into complete sentences. These changes would make your meaning clearer.

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