Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

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 how a kind of desert transformed into a rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the process has seven stages where the winds cover thousands of kilometers from the sea coast to the desert.

The process begins when the winds approach from the coastal area then the winds pushed upwards to moist the air and cools when it reaches the windward side of mountains. In addition, clouds formed. After rain falls on the mountain the dry air continues blow over the leeward side of the mountain.

That dry winds reaches the island areas and convert it into the rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main sequence, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and mention the key outcomes of cloud formation and rainfall. However, the account is brief and some stages are unclear or inaccurately described: the winds are pushed upwards by the mountains, while the air rises and cools; the winds do not rise “to moist the air.” The final stage should say that dry winds reach inland areas where the rain-shadow desert forms, rather than suggesting they convert an existing area into desert. The overview also gives little explanation of the windward/leeward contrast. The response is 50 words below the required minimum, which limits how fully you can report the process. Add detail about the sequence and the desert’s inland location.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the stages. The sequence is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “After” help signal progression. However, the process description is compressed, so several stages run together, particularly the movement of the winds, the cooling of moist air, and cloud formation. The repeated use of “the winds” also makes the links feel mechanical, while “That dry winds” has an unclear reference and interrupts the final transition. To improve, give each major phase a clear place in the sequence and use precise references such as “this air” or “the resulting dry winds.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “coastal area,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “clouds,” and “rain falls,” which makes the topic recognisable. There is also some useful variation in describing movement, such as “approach” and “continues.” However, several word choices or combinations are inaccurate: “moist the air” does not clearly express that the air is already moist, and “convert it into” is not a natural way to describe desert formation. “Island areas” appears to mean inland areas, changing the geographical meaning. Use precise terms from the diagram and natural collocations, for example, “moist air rises and cools” and “a rain-shadow desert forms inland.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a time clause in “when it reaches the windward side” and a sequence introduced by “After rain falls.” The overall meaning can usually be understood, but errors in verb forms and agreement recur. For example, “the winds pushed upwards” needs a passive form (“are pushed upwards”), “clouds formed” should remain in the present simple for a process diagram, and “That dry winds reaches” has a subject–verb agreement error. The phrase “continues blow” also needs an infinitive with “to.” Keep the process consistently in the present simple and check that each subject agrees with its verb; this will make the sequence clearer and more accurate.

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

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