Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-27

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 flow chart delineates the manufacture of rain shadow deserts.

At a glance, this process consists of seven stages, which begins with wind flow from the sea side and terminates with dry wind arrival at inland areas.

Initially, this mountains covered the area of thousand of kilometers, from the sea side the winds flow. After which, the winds go upwards to the top of the mountain in which wind is obtained moisture from the atmosphere . after a period of time it is cooled down.

Following this, after this procedures, at the windward area the clouds are formed. At particular time, the rain falls and the dry air flows down to the leeward side. Ultimately, dry winds is arrived at inland areas and the process of formation of rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a broad overview from winds approaching from the sea to dry winds reaching inland. You also mention cloud formation and rainfall, so the response includes several central features. However, some stages are unclear or inaccurately described: the text says the wind “is obtained moisture from the atmosphere,” whereas the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling, and it does not clearly explain that rain falls on the windward side before dry air crosses the mountain to the leeward side. The response is also below the required 150 words. To strengthen the summary, describe each key stage accurately and add relevant detail about the mountain’s role and the inland rain-shadow desert.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence, supported by markers such as “Initially,” “Following this,” and “Ultimately,” and the overview gives the reader a general sense of the process. This provides an overall arrangement, but the progression is weakened by awkward or unclear links, including “After which” and the repeated “Following this, after this procedures.” The stages are also compressed into a single paragraph, making the relationships between rising air, cooling, rainfall, and the dry air’s movement harder to follow. Organise the account into a brief overview and a logically ordered description of the stages. Use a smaller number of precise linking expressions and make each transition show clearly what happens next.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “windward,” “leeward,” “clouds,” “rain,” and “inland areas,” and “delineates” shows an attempt to use a less common verb. Overall, the range is adequate to describe the process, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “manufacture” suggests deliberate production, “wind flow” is imprecise, and “dry winds is arrived” does not express the intended meaning naturally. “This mountains covered the area” also obscures the diagram’s scale label. Choose standard process language and accurate collocations, such as “formation,” “winds approach the coast,” and “dry air continues over the mountain.” These changes would make the description clearer and more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “the top of the mountain in which…” and sequencing clauses. However, errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, and articles are frequent enough to make some stages difficult to understand. For example, “this mountains covered” has incorrect agreement and tense, “the winds go upwards” does not form a clear process description, and “dry winds is arrived” has an incorrect verb construction. The sentence beginning “After which” is also incomplete, and punctuation around the long middle sentence is difficult to control. Practise writing one complete sentence for each stage, checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and consistent present simple forms such as “air rises,” “clouds form,” and “rain falls.”

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