Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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 the process that how rain-shadow desert is formed.

The rain-shadow desert formation process is containes on seven stages. During this process the winds from the sea moves thousands of kilometres. Passes through mountains, releases moistures by rain falls and becomes dries. And then reaches to inland areas, cause rain-shadow desert formation.

First of all, winds present on sea approaches to the coast side of mountains. Then mountains pushed these winds upwards by blocking there way. These winds containes moisture. By going above, the air become cools. In fourth stage the cloudes are formed by these moist air. Following this step rain falls occured on windward side of mountains. The air become dries due moisture loss from it by rain falls. Dry air movement is continues over leeward side of mountains. At the last stage when these dry winds reach downward to inland areas the rain-shadow desert are formed by them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence, from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland, and correctly identify rainfall on the windward side and the desert beyond the leeward side. The overview also recognises the moisture-loss process, which is central to the diagram. However, some details are less fully or precisely reported: “mountains pushed these winds upwards” makes the mountains sound like an active agent, whereas the diagram shows the winds being forced upward by the mountain barrier. The description could also make clearer that moist air cools as it rises, leading to cloud formation and then rain. A more precise overview of this cause-and-effect relationship would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall order: an introduction and overview are followed by a stage-by-stage account, with markers such as “First of all,” “Then,” and “At the last stage” helping the reader follow the process. This coherent arrangement supports the explanation. Some linking is mechanical, however, and the overview contains several short, fragmented statements: “Passes through mountains, releases moistures by rain falls and becomes dries.” The reference in “these winds” is also not always precise, since the text shifts between winds and air. Grouping related stages into smoother sentences and using clearer references would improve the flow and make the connections between rising, cooling, cloud formation, and rainfall easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moisture,” and “inland areas,” so the reader can identify the main features. There is also some attempt to vary the wording for movement and change. However, inaccurate word forms and collocations reduce precision: “the process … is containes,” “becomes dries,” and “rain falls occured” are not natural English expressions. Spelling errors such as “cloudes” and “there” for “their” also affect control. Aim for accurate, conventional process language and check word forms carefully; for example, describe air as “becoming dry” and say that “rainfall occurs.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including a sequence of clauses beginning “Then” and “Following this step,” and the overall meaning is generally recoverable. However, some errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction remain. For example, “the winds from the sea moves” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “the air become cools” combines incompatible verb forms. The overview also includes fragments, such as “Passes through mountains,” and “the rain-shadow desert are formed” has an agreement error. Use complete sentences with a consistent subject and verb, and practise forming passive structures accurately, such as “the winds are pushed upwards.”

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