Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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 shows the process how a simple desert converted into rain-shadow desert. Well as it is clearly present in the picture below that the rain-shadow desert is made thousand kilmetres away from the sea coast and it took a long time and during this whole process there are seven essential steps includes.

Starting with the very first step when air reached the coast area where it take some evaporated water with it and then wind goes up as air start rising from coat it gets cooler along with the windward side it is clear shown. In next two steps the cooler wind change its composition and tuen into clods which then rise towards the top of the hill where rain start falling and make the air and the top area moist.

Aftwrward the air got dried and continue to move down along the leeward side from where it get the land area and converted the desert into rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a process and mention several central stages, including air rising and cooling, cloud formation, rainfall, and the movement of dry air over the mountains. However, the account only partially reports the process: there is no clear overview of the overall sea-to-inland sequence, and some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the diagram shows winds approaching from the sea, then being forced upwards; it does not say that the air takes evaporated water with it. The claim that the desert is “made thousand kilometres away” also misreads the scale, which indicates a horizontal distance of thousands of kilometres rather than the time or exact location of formation. Explain how dry winds reach inland areas and create the rain-shadow desert more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a basic chronological structure: it begins with the coast, describes the mountain stages, and ends with air moving down the leeward side. Paragraphing also separates the opening from the process description. However, progression is sometimes difficult to follow because several stages are compressed into long sentences, such as the account beginning “In next two steps.” The sequence markers “Starting,” “In next two steps,” and “Aftwrward” help signal order, but they are not always used accurately or smoothly, and the links between stages are unclear. Organise the process into clearer steps and use precise references, such as “the air” or “the resulting clouds,” so readers can follow what changes at each point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “coast,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which shows an attempt to describe the diagram specifically. However, the range and control of vocabulary are limited, and several word choices or spellings make the meaning less clear. Phrases such as “simple desert converted,” “change its composition,” and “make the air and the top area moist” are imprecise for this process. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “kilmetres,” “clods,” and “Aftwrward.” Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations, such as “moist air,” “condenses,” and “precipitation,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine stages using clauses, for example, “as air start rising from coat it gets cooler,” but complex sentences are often faulty, and errors sometimes make the sequence hard to interpret. Verb forms and agreement are inconsistent: “air reached … where it take” and “rain start falling” need consistent tense and agreement. Articles and sentence structure also need attention, as in “the process how a simple desert converted” and “from where it get the land area.” Some sentences run several ideas together without clear punctuation. Practise describing a process consistently in the present simple, with clear subjects and verbs—for example, “As the moist air rises, it cools and forms clouds”—and separate each stage into a complete sentence.

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