Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25

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 image below describes the process of how one type of desert, called as rain-shadow desert is formed. Half of this process is involved in making of rain.

Overall, it is a very simple and easy process as every water body is involved in this process. This process is very time consuming and some of these steps are involved in making of rain. At last this process results in the making of Rain-shadow desert.

At first the winds approach the coast and take water from sea and then winds are pushed upwards and the moist air rises and cools down by forming clouds this process takes place above the mountains within the range of thousands of kilometres. when the water amount is at its peak level then it results in rain. Afterwards the dry air continues over mountain and then the winds travel the inland areas which then makes the Rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main sequence from coastal winds to the inland rain-shadow desert, and you mention the key stages of uplift, cooling, cloud formation and rainfall. However, the account only partially explains the diagram: the overview calls the process “very simple” and “time consuming,” neither of which is shown, and “every water body” is an unsupported generalisation. The claim that winds “take water from sea” is also imprecise; the diagram shows moist air rising, not water being visibly collected. The windward and leeward sides are not clearly distinguished, and the desert’s inland location could be stated more directly. Focus the overview on the contrast between rain on the windward side and dry air reaching the leeward inland area.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, with an introduction, an overview and a paragraph describing the stages in sequence. Connectors such as “At first,” “then” and “Afterwards” help the reader follow the process. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the overview repeats that the process makes a desert and that some steps make rain, while the final paragraph strings many stages together in one long sentence. “This process” is also used repeatedly without always making clear which stage it refers to. Organise the description into clearer stage groups—for example, moisture and rainfall on the mountain’s windward side, followed by dry air travelling inland—and use linking phrases selectively.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “rain,” “dry air” and “mountains,” so the process is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “making of rain,” “water amount is at its peak level” and “makes the Rain-shadow desert.” Repetition of “process,” “winds” and “then” also limits flexibility. Choose precise process language and collocations to describe the diagram, such as air “absorbing moisture,” “precipitation occurring” and dry winds “creating arid conditions.” Use the diagram’s terms “windward side” and “leeward side” to make the spatial description more exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentences, including clauses linked with “and then” and “which,” but these are often difficult to control. For example, the sentence beginning “At first the winds approach the coast” runs through several stages without clear sentence boundaries, and the clause “which then makes the Rain-shadow desert” has an unclear grammatical reference. There are also errors in forms and articles, as in “called as rain-shadow desert” and “involved in making of rain.” Capitalisation after a full stop is inconsistent (“when”), and punctuation around the opening sentence is missing. Use shorter, accurately punctuated sentences for each stage, then practise combining them with controlled clauses such as “As the air rises, it cools and forms clouds.”

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