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 formation of a desert includes many steps. The provided diagram shows how a rain-desert is formed. According to the diagram, this process has 7 steps in total and includes various natural elements such as: Sea water, mountains, clouds, rain etc. It's quite a smooth system.

It all starts with the sea. Sea water is the most important catalyst as the whole process depends om water. Between the sea coast and the inland there lies thousands of kilometres of mountains. The mountains are quite steep.

Wind approaches the coast of the sea and carries the moist air upward along the windward side of the mountains. This moist air then cools and forms clouds. At the top of the mountains rain starts to fall from the clouds. Some of this rain slides down the sides of the mountains and mixes with the sea again. Some goes down the leeward side of the mountains.

After the rainfall, the dry air continues flowing over the mountains, and reaches the inland areas. Together with the rain soaked air and the dry air, the inland areas get covered with wet sand. That's how the rain-shadow deserts form.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the general process and describe several central stages, including moist air rising, cooling, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air moving inland. However, the account contains important inaccuracies that make the explanation only minimally complete: the diagram shows a rain-shadow desert, not a “rain-desert,” and the inland area becomes dry rather than being “covered with wet sand.” The claim that rain slides down both sides and mixes with the sea is not shown. The overview also calls the system “quite a smooth system” without summarising its key outcome: rain falls on the windward side, leaving dry air to create a desert inland on the leeward side. Focus on accurately reporting the diagram rather than adding unsupported details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable sequence, moving from the sea and mountains through rainfall to the inland area. Paragraph breaks also help separate the introduction from the process description. However, the opening list of elements and the comment “It’s quite a smooth system” do not contribute much to the explanation, and the second paragraph interrupts the process sequence with unsupported geographical details. Some linking is clear, as in “This moist air then cools” and “After the rainfall,” but references such as “Some of this rain” and “Some goes down” lead into information not supported by the diagram. To improve progression, organise the stages in order and use concise links that clarify the windward-to-leeward movement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “catalyst,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” and “rain-shadow deserts.” These terms show an attempt to describe the diagram precisely. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this task: “rain-desert” does not match the diagram’s term, “rain soaked air” is unclear, and “wet sand” misrepresents the dry inland outcome. “Smooth system” is also vague rather than an appropriate description of a natural process. There is a spelling error in “om,” and “Sea water” is not the key agent as described; the diagram focuses on moist winds. Use the diagram’s labels consistently and choose precise process vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the process remains understandable. For example, “This moist air then cools and forms clouds” is a clear, well-controlled sentence, while “After the rainfall, the dry air continues flowing over the mountains, and reaches the inland areas” attempts to combine stages. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain. In that final example, the comma before “and” is unnecessary because the subject is shared. “Between the sea coast and the inland there lies thousands of kilometres of mountains” has awkward sentence structure and subject–verb agreement; “there lie” would agree with the plural subject, though the sentence should be recast to match the diagram. Check sentence boundaries and agreement when using longer constructions.

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