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 labeled diagram illustrates the fromation of a rain-shadow deserts.

Overall, the rain shadow desret is formed by three major elements that are sea, wind and mountains. The winds appraoches from sea is moves the moist air upward and rain falls, thus, air becomes dry and goes down again to inland and froms Rain-shadow desert.

Initially, wind from the sea coast approaches and moves the mosit and cool air up the mountains where it transfroms into clouds, all this take place at windward side. The clouds then showers down in form of rain. After rain, air becomes dry and and it slides downward from the top to the inland area. This sliding down of air from top of mountains to plain area is called leeward stage. Inland it makes the Rain-shadow desert. This whole process is of thousands kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main sequence: moist air rises on the windward side, clouds form, rain falls, and drier air moves inland to create the desert. The overview also recognises the roles of the sea, wind and mountains. However, some stages are imprecise: the diagram shows dry air continuing over the mountain and reaching inland, not clearly “going down again,” and “leeward stage” is not a process label in the visual. The description gives limited detail about how rising air cools before clouds form. The response is also 11 words below the required minimum, leaving the process underdeveloped. Add a clearer account of the cooling and the movement from the windward to leeward side, while keeping claims tied to the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by a paragraph describing the stages. Sequencing words such as “Initially,” “then,” and “After rain” help the reader follow the process. Overall, the information is arranged coherently, but some links are awkward or unclear. For example, “The winds approaches from sea is moves the moist air upward” makes the relationship between wind and rising air difficult to follow, while “This sliding down of air from top of mountains to plain area” repeats the previous point rather than advancing the explanation. The overview also combines several stages in one long sentence. Use shorter, clearly linked sentences and refer consistently to the windward and leeward sides to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “clouds,” “rain,” “inland,” and “Rain-shadow desert,” so the topic is generally clear. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “approaches” and “transforms.” However, spelling errors are noticeable, including “fromation,” “desret,” “appraoches,” and “mosit,” and some word choices or combinations are inaccurate: “clouds then showers down” and “leeward stage” do not describe the diagram naturally. “Moves the moist and cool air up” is also imprecise because the air rises and cools. Check spelling carefully and choose standard process collocations, such as “is forced upwards,” “cools and condenses,” and “dry air moves inland.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence linked with “where” and a cause-and-result construction using “thus.” However, errors in sentence structure and agreement sometimes make the process difficult to understand. For example, “The winds approaches from sea coast approaches and moves” contains an unclear subject and verb pattern, and “all this take place” has incorrect agreement. The sentence beginning “Overall” also joins several ideas without a clear grammatical structure. Articles and plurals are inconsistent, as in “a rain-shadow deserts” and “thousands kilometers.” Aim for one clear subject and verb in each clause, then check agreement, articles and plural forms. More accurate complex sentences would help express the stages and their relationships.

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