Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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 shows the process of the formation of rain-shadow deserts through a series of weather conditions.

Overall, rain-shadow desert is formed according to the availability of natural resources including the geographical location and the suitable weather conditions. The image showed that the location has large and wide mountain where it surrounded by the sea on one side and an inland on the other side.

The formation goes through sequential steps, starting by winds blows near seashore hits a wide mountain of thousands of kilometers wide, then they move upward where the moist air get cooled at the windward side and transformed to clouds. The clouds approach the mountains tip, then start raining. After raining, the dry air continues to move over the other side of the mountain. At leeward side, the dry air begins to go down to reach inland areas. As a result, rain-shadow desert created when the dry winds arrived the inland.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main process from winds approaching the coast through rainfall on the windward side to dry air reaching inland, and your final sentence identifies the resulting rain-shadow desert. This gives the reader a generally accurate account of the diagram. However, the overview is less precise: “availability of natural resources” is not shown, and the diagram’s key contrast between the wet windward side and dry leeward side could be stated more clearly. Some details are also unclear or inaccurate, particularly describing the mountain as “thousands of kilometers wide”; the scale refers to the horizontal distance shown, not necessarily the mountain’s width. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the moisture loss over the mountains and its consequence inland, then report the stages precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological account of the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “starting,” “then,” “After raining,” and “As a result” help the reader follow the process. The progression is generally logical, but some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “The clouds approach the mountains tip, then start raining” makes the sequence sound as though the clouds themselves move and initiate the rain, while “After raining” is an imprecise transition. The overview also combines several ideas in a long sentence, making the main contrast less prominent. Use clearer stage-to-stage links and separate the overview from the location details so the process is easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “dry air,” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some variety in verbs such as “move upward,” “continues,” and “reach.” However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “availability of natural resources,” “wide mountain,” and “the clouds approach the mountains tip.” “Thousands of kilometers wide” also misrepresents the scale label. These choices sometimes make the description less precise, even though the general meaning remains understandable. Aim for standard process language such as “moist air rises,” “condenses to form clouds,” and “precipitation falls on the windward slope,” while avoiding details not supported by the diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence joined with “where” and a result clause beginning “As a result.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some errors in verb forms, agreement, and articles reduce accuracy. For example, “winds blows” should be “winds blow,” “the moist air get cooled” needs “gets cooled” or a more natural passive construction, and “rain-shadow desert created” requires a verb such as “is created.” The phrase “where it surrounded by the sea” also has an unclear reference and is missing an appropriate verb form. Review subject–verb agreement and complete passive structures, and break up long sentences when several stages are being described.

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

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