Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-30

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 the process by which a rain-shadow desert is formed as a result of a wind movement and rainfall around a mountain range.

Overall, first of all rain shadow desert has a seven stages and the range of mountain has a thousands of kilometers. The process started in the sea and ended up in the inland.

It is crysal clear, the first step of the formation of rain-show desert are top of the sea winds approach coast , then the second step is wind pushed upwards on the mountain. The 3rd step is moist air rises on the mountain and the air started to cool.The fourth step is the air converted into clouds.

Furthermore, the 5th step is on the top of the mountain there is a rainfall, then the 6th step is dry air continues over the mountain and then there is the final step when the dry winds reach inland area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a process and report the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland. The overview also notes that the process begins at the sea and ends inland, which captures its broad direction. However, the overview is unclear about the key cause-and-effect pattern: moist air rises on the windward side, cools and produces rain, leaving dry air to cross the mountains and create desert conditions on the leeward side. Some stages are described imprecisely, such as saying the air is “converted into clouds” rather than explaining that clouds form. To strengthen the response, summarise this overall contrast clearly and describe the rain-shadow desert’s inland, leeward location.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the stages in sequence. Numbering the stages and using “Furthermore” help the reader follow the process, and the order broadly matches the diagram. However, the overview’s “first of all” is awkwardly placed, and the sequence is sometimes presented as a list rather than as connected cause and effect. The transition from cooling air to cloud formation, for example, could be made more explicit. Some references, such as “the air” and “there,” are not always precise. Use clearer links such as “As the moist air rises…” and “After rainfall…” to make progression smoother and connections between stages clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “rainfall,” “dry air,” “mountain,” and “inland,” so the reader can identify the main stages. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “the air converted into clouds,” “top of the sea winds,” and “rain-show desert” do not express the intended ideas naturally. “Crysal clear” is also an inappropriate phrase in this formal description, as well as being misspelled. Aim for precise terms from the diagram, such as “windward side,” “leeward side,” “precipitation,” and “rain-shadow desert,” and use natural process verbs such as “forms,” “cools,” and “continues.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, and the reader can generally follow the sequence. However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to process. For example, “rain shadow desert has a seven stages” has problems with articles and number agreement, while “the first step … are” has subject–verb disagreement. The sentence beginning “It is crysal clear” is also poorly punctuated and joined to the following clause. There are errors with articles, plurals, verb forms, and sentence boundaries across the response. Practise building accurate stage descriptions with a subject and verb, for example: “Moist air rises over the mountain and cools, forming clouds.”

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