Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

Basically the diagram explains the steps of rain-shadow desert that, How they made in the deserts.Overall, The rain-shadow desert produce by following the 7 major steps after that, The desert formed.

As we saw that, the process start with sea that are toched by the mountain that called coast, When the wind that's upper on the sea move to the windward side of the mountain, The wind become cools which made the clouds and the rain falls. This is the reason the dry air goes to the leeward side of that mountain, And that side of mountain there was a desert. The total disttence between the sea and the mountain has been approcsimately thousand of kilometers.

After that in the final stage or the final step of rain shadow desert, the dry air reaches the inland areas. when they reach the area the rain-shadow type desert found in the land of sand.

In conclusion, The major role in producing the rain-shadow desert is tha sea, mountains, land of sand, and the air.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as involving seven stages and mention the key elements of sea, mountains, rain and inland desert, so the response is relevant to the diagram. However, the account only partially reports the sequence: it does not clearly explain that moist air rises, cools, forms clouds and then loses moisture as rain before dry air crosses the mountain. The overview that the desert is “produce by following the 7 major steps” is vague, and the conclusion about the “major role” of the sea, mountains and “land of sand” does not summarise the mechanism accurately. The distance is also misreported: the diagram’s scale indicates thousands of kilometres, not a distance between the sea and mountain. A clearer overview and more precise stage-by-stage description would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is an attempt to organise the response with an opening, a general statement, a description of the process and a conclusion. The sequence from the sea toward the inland area is broadly apparent, and phrases such as “After that” help signal progression. However, the stages are compressed into long, loosely connected sentences, making the order and relationships difficult to follow. Several transitions are awkward or repetitive, including “As we saw that” and “After that in the final stage or the final step.” The final paragraph also repeats the idea of the dry air reaching inland rather than adding a distinct summary. Use separate, clearly focused paragraphs and connect each stage with precise sequencing language.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “clouds,” “rain falls” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “the desert formed,” “the wind become cools,” and “land of sand.” Spelling errors such as “touched,” “disttence” and “approcsimately” (as written) also reduce precision. Some repetition of “step,” “desert” and “mountain” makes the description less flexible. Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations, for example, describing air as rising, cooling and losing moisture, and use the diagram’s labels consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a sequence linked with “which” and a concluding sentence. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors frequently make the relationships between ideas harder to understand. Examples include “the process start,” “the wind become cools,” and “the dry air goes,” where verb forms do not agree with their subjects. Sentence boundaries and capitalisation are also inconsistent: “Overall, The…” and “when they reach the area…” interrupt the flow. Articles and clause structure need attention as well, as in “the steps of rain-shadow desert that, How they made.” Practise writing one clear sentence for each stage, checking subject–verb agreement, tense and punctuation before combining ideas.

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

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