Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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 below shows the series of atmospheric phenomenena responsible for the formation of the rain-shadow deserts in form steps, with each one numbered from 1 to 7.

Starting with

Step 1 the approach of winds from the sea towards the coast

Step 2 winds pushing upwards in parallel with the mountain's windward side.

Step 3 moist air raises and cools.

Step 4 clouds start forming and push to the peak of the mountain.

Step 5 rain falls on the top of the mountain.

Step 6 dry air pushes downwards from the top of the mountain in parallel with its leeward side.

Step 7 dry winds reach inland areas.

These steps happen in a distance of thousands of kilometers and are the main reasons of the formation of rain-shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the process and report the numbered stages in the correct general order, including the movement from the sea towards the coast, rainfall on the mountain, and dry winds reaching inland. However, the response is only a partial summary: it gives little explanation of how rising moist air cools and produces rain, or how the resulting dry air creates a rain-shadow desert on the leeward side. The final sentence mentions the distance but does not explain the diagram’s key contrast between the wet windward slope and dry inland area. The response is also 20 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail available. Add a clear overview and develop the cause-and-effect links between the stages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The numbered sequence gives the reader a basic sense of order, and the stages are presented in the same progression as the diagram. However, the response reads more like disconnected notes than a connected process description: the opening ends with “Starting with,” followed by separate step fragments, and there is no distinct overview to guide the reader. Connections between stages are mostly implied by the numbering rather than expressed through cohesive language. The final sentence repeats the idea of the steps without drawing together their outcome. Use complete sentences and linking expressions such as “As a result” and “Consequently,” and group the stages into a short overview followed by a logically connected explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “peak,” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some attempt at more specific wording, such as “atmospheric phenomena.” However, several choices are inaccurate or awkward: “phenomenena” is misspelled, “in form steps” is unnatural, and “clouds … push to the peak” does not clearly describe their formation. “Rain-shadow deserts” is plural even though the diagram presents one type and one example. Aim for precise process collocations, such as “clouds form above the mountain” and “dry air descends on the leeward side.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates the sequence using mostly simple structures, and the numbered stages make the intended meaning generally understandable. However, the range is limited, with many entries functioning as fragments rather than complete sentences: “Step 1 the approach of winds…” and “Step 2 winds pushing upwards…” lack a clear finite verb. There are also errors in verb forms and sentence construction, including “moist air raises and cools” and the incomplete opening “Starting with.” The final sentence attempts a fuller structure, but the response would benefit from more accurate complex sentences linking cause and result. Practise writing each stage as a complete sentence, for example, “As moist air rises, it cools and clouds form.”

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