Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 illustration below demonstrates the formation process of a type of desert called rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the path begins with winds approaching mountain from sea to coast leads to formation of clouds , whereas at the end the dry winds from rain fall reach inland area to there by creating rain-shadow desert. The first side and opposite side of mountain are named as Windward side and Leeward side.

Firstly, the winds flows through coast from sea towards mountains further the winds pushed upwards the Windward side. Through this the moisture raises along with cooling down the air in which , it results in creation of clouds thus the rain fall occurs. Following this the dry air moves down the opposite side know as Leeward side.Furthermore the dry winds reaches the inland areas in which rain-shadow desert is fromed. The distance between the coast and the inland is more than thousands of kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from winds arriving from the sea to the formation of a desert inland, and you identify the windward and leeward sides. The overview also recognises the contrast between the rain-bearing stage and the dry winds reaching inland. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: “winds approaching mountain from sea to coast” does not clearly describe the winds being forced upwards over the mountain, and “dry winds from rain fall” confuses the dry air with the earlier rainfall. The final statement that the distance is “more than thousands of kilometers” is not supported by the diagram, which indicates a scale of thousands of kilometres rather than a specific distance. Develop the stages more precisely to make the process fully clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and a chronological description beginning with “Firstly” and continuing with “Following this” and “Furthermore.” This helps the reader follow the broad process. However, some links are mechanical or unclear, particularly “Overall, the path begins…” and “Through this… in which,” where the relationships between stages are difficult to follow. The overview also combines several points in a long sentence, while the final paragraph runs through most stages without clear sentence boundaries or punctuation. Use a clearer sequence of short, well-linked sentences and make references such as “this” or “it” point unambiguously to a stage in the process.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “formation,” “moisture,” “clouds,” “rain fall,” and the labels “Windward side” and “Leeward side.” This gives you enough language to describe the diagram, but word choice and collocation are not consistently controlled. For example, “moisture raises” is not the natural expression for air moving upwards, and “dry winds from rain fall” makes the relationship between rainfall and dry air confusing. There are also spelling and word-form slips such as “fromed” and “know” for “known.” Aim for precise process verbs and check spelling carefully; alternatives such as “ascends,” “condenses,” and “precipitation” would help describe the stages more accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence linked with “whereas” and a clause beginning “in which.” However, these longer structures are often faulty, and some basic agreement and article errors reduce accuracy. Examples include “the winds flows,” “the winds pushed upwards,” and “the dry winds reaches,” where the verb forms do not agree with the plural subject or the intended present-tense process. The opening overview also lacks a clear grammatical structure, and punctuation is inconsistent, with spaces before commas and a missing space after the full stop in “side.Furthermore.” Use the present simple consistently for a process diagram, check subject–verb agreement, and divide complex ideas into complete sentences.

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