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)

This diagram illustrates the information about a kind od desert. It shows how this is formed and another name of this desert is rain-shadow.

Overview, formation of rain desert contains seven stages and every step is beneficial to get result, start from the coastal air and end up at inland. In addition, rain-shadow desert is thousands of kilometers away from the coastal area.

Looking more closely, winds from the ocean approach and it moved upwards. In the third stage, humid air goes up and cool down at the specific height and clouds are formed near to the windward part.

Subsequently, when the rain is fall on the top of mountains. In the next step, dry air continues over mountain and go down from the leward side. Further, Dry air reach to the inland regions and result achieve at the final stage. Rain shadow desert is the underground part on one side of mountain, where formation is done.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a process and include its main direction: winds move from the coast, rain falls around the mountains, and dry air reaches inland. The reference to seven stages and the thousands-of-kilometres scale also reflects information shown. However, several important details are unclear or inaccurate. The overview says “every step is beneficial to get result” without explaining the key transformation from moist air to dry air, and the final claim that the desert is “the underground part” is incorrect: it is an inland area beyond the leeward side. The account also does not clearly explain that rising air cools, clouds form, and rain falls on the windward side. Develop these central features more precisely and avoid unsupported descriptions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the earlier and later stages. Sequencing expressions such as “In the third stage,” “Subsequently,” and “In the next step” help the reader follow the process. However, the progression is sometimes interrupted by unclear or incomplete statements, particularly “when the rain is fall on the top of mountains” and “result achieve at the final stage.” Some linking words feel mechanical, and the relationship between the stages is not always explicit. The final sentence introduces a mistaken description rather than providing a clear endpoint. Use a more consistent chronological account, with each sentence showing how one stage leads to the next, and make references such as “it” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “coastal,” “humid air,” “windward,” “dry air,” and “inland regions,” which helps communicate the subject. There is also some attempt to vary wording, for example “approach” and “continues.” However, noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. “Rain desert” is less accurate than the diagram’s “rain-shadow desert,” while “the underground part” mislabels the desert’s location. Phrases such as “get result” and “result achieve” are unnatural, and “leward” is misspelled. Build a more precise set of process collocations and use the diagram’s geographical terms consistently; this will make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “where formation is done” and sequencing clauses beginning with “when.” However, control is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make several sentences awkward or unclear. Examples include “it moved upwards,” where the subject and tense do not fit the general process, “humid air goes up and cool down,” which has faulty agreement, and “when the rain is fall,” which uses an incorrect verb form. The sentence beginning “Overview, formation…” is also not grammatically complete, and articles and prepositions are often missing or misplaced. Practise describing processes in the present simple and check subject–verb agreement and complete sentence structure.

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