Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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 illustrates the formation of famous kind of desert (rain-shadow).

Overall, the formation of rain-shadow desert follows a pattern which includes seven steps. The process start from the sea,coast reach to the mountains following by various methods and ends up on land. The wind covers thousand of kilometres.

The formation of known desert starts when the winds approach on coast from sea. After that, the winds are pushed upwards towards the clouds. Moreover, the moist air rises and cool down to form clouds. Then the rain falls down from windward side to leeward side.

However, the dry air is continuesly blowing over the mountains towards leeside. then this dry air reaches on inland areas. This is how the formation of rain-shadow deserts is happened. The whole process covers thousand of kilometres. The cycle moves from upward to downward direction following some steps. the wind comes on sea to coast and then on mountains and land.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and include several key stages, including winds approaching from the sea, air rising and cooling, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air moving inland. This gives the reader a basic account of the diagram. However, some important relationships are unclear or inaccurate: rain falls on the windward side, not “from windward side to leeward side,” and the desert’s location beyond the leeward side is not clearly described. The overview also repeats that the process covers thousands of kilometres rather than summarising the main cause-and-effect pattern. To strengthen the response, explain how moist air loses its moisture over the mountains and how the resulting dry winds create the inland rain-shadow desert.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an opening, an overview, and paragraphs describing stages, so there is some organisation. The sequence is generally recognisable through markers such as “After that” and “Then.” However, progression is weakened by repetition: the direction from sea to coast, mountains, and land is restated in both the overview and the conclusion, while the final sentence adds little new information. Some links are also inaccurate or awkward; “However” does not express a contrast between the preceding and following stages, and “Moreover” is not needed to connect the air’s rise and cooling to cloud formation. Group the stages into a clear beginning, mountain rainfall, and inland outcome, using fewer and more precise transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “windward side,” “dry air,” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “famous kind of desert,” “various methods,” and “the formation … is happened.” Repetition of “wind,” “process,” and “mountains” also limits flexibility. Some word forms and spellings are inaccurate, including “continuesly” and “leeside,” and “thousand of kilometres” is not expressed naturally. Aim for precise process language and accurate collocations, for example describing air as “crossing the mountain range” and rainfall as “precipitation on the windward slope.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and linked sentences, for example “Moreover, the moist air rises and cool down to form clouds,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in verb forms and agreement: “The process start” should be “The process starts,” “air … cool down” should be “air … cools down,” and “the dry air is continuesly blowing” has an incorrect verb construction. The final clause, “This is how the formation … is happened,” is also faulty. Sentence boundaries and capitalisation need attention, particularly the lowercase “then” and “the wind” after full stops, as well as missing spacing after commas. Use a reliable present-simple pattern for each stage and check subject–verb agreement and complete sentence structure.

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