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 diagram illustrates how rian-shadow dessert is formed after passing a lot of natural procedure.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the process of rain shadow desert is forming consists of several stages. beginning with the winds approaching coast and ending with dry winds reaching inland areas. Mountains are very helpful for this procedure.

Intially, wind blow from the sea to the coast and are pushed into upwards of mountains. As a result most wind rises and and cool. then winds leading to the formation of clouds. these clouds rain falls onthe windward side of mountain.

In the remaining stages, the winds decends into leeward side. due to this reason winds becomes dry and moving continues over the mountain. finally the dry winds reaching in the inland areas of mountain due to lack of moist rainfalls re very rare in this regions. In these process rain shaddow is formed. The most noticeable thousands of kilometers distance between coast and rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and your overview identifies the beginning and end of the process. You also correctly mention rising, cooling air, cloud formation, rainfall on the windward side, and the inland rain-shadow desert. This gives the account a sound factual foundation. To make the summary more complete, explain the key cause-and-effect relationship more precisely: moist air loses moisture as rain on the windward side, then dry air crosses the mountain and contributes to desert conditions on the leeward side. The statement that mountains are “very helpful” is vague, and the final reference to thousands of kilometres is included without explaining that it indicates the horizontal scale.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “As a result,” and “finally” help the reader follow the process. However, some links are mechanical or unclear, and the progression becomes difficult to track in places. For example, “these clouds rain falls” does not clearly connect cloud formation to precipitation, while the final paragraph says the winds descend and then “moving continues over the mountain,” making the order of events uncertain. Improve cohesion by describing each stage in sequence and using clear references such as “the air” or “this moisture.” Consistent sentence boundaries and paragraph punctuation would also make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use several relevant process terms, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “formation of clouds,” and “inland areas,” which show awareness of the topic. However, the range is limited and a number of word-choice, spelling, and collocation errors make parts of the description difficult to understand. Examples include “natural procedure,” “winds blow … into upwards,” and “rainfalls re very rare.” Some key terms are also misspelled, such as “rian-shadow dessert” and “rain shaddow,” which can confuse the reader. Aim for precise process vocabulary and check spelling carefully. Reusing accurate terms such as “moist air,” “precipitation,” and “dry air” would be clearer than repeating general references to “winds.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a cause-and-effect construction with “As a result” and a sentence beginning “In the remaining stages.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries sometimes obscure the process. For instance, “wind blow … and are pushed” shifts between singular and plural, while “most wind rises and and cool” has faulty agreement and an incomplete verb form. The overview also begins “beginning with” as a sentence fragment. Practise writing complete sentences with a consistent subject, such as “Moist air rises, cools, and forms clouds.” Careful proofreading for capitalisation and punctuation will help make your meaning clearer.

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