Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-03

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 daigram illustrates how a rain shadow desert is formed.

Overall, the 7 stage process include converting a land into a desert. The process begins with the winds rose from sea and then conevrted into clouds due to cold and then rain falls on the ground making rain shadow desert.

The process begins with the sea rose from the sea and hit the coastal areas. Then the winds move upwards into high altitude and due to lower temprature it is converted into clouds. Furthermore, the rain falls on the mountains and making the temprature low.

In the next process, due to lower temprature the air becomes dry and continues flowing over the mountains. Due to mountains, the other side recieve very little rain fall and recieves only a small amount of rain. As a result the other side percieve dry winds and the land result in rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the diagram as a process and mention several key stages, including winds rising, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air moving inland. However, the account is only partially accurate: the opening says the winds “rose from sea,” and the overview suggests rain itself makes the desert, rather than explaining that dry winds reach inland beyond the mountains. The sequence and contrast between the wet windward side and dry leeward side need clearer explanation; the claim that the other side receives “a small amount of rain” is not shown in the diagram. The response is also one word below the required minimum. To improve, give a precise overview and describe each stage using the diagram’s labels and locations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs describing the process. Sequencing expressions such as “Then,” “Furthermore,” and “In the next process” help the reader follow the stages. However, progression is weakened by repetition and unclear referencing. For example, “the process begins with the sea rose from the sea” repeats the opening idea and makes it difficult to identify whether the subject is the sea or the winds. “The other side” is also used without consistently naming the leeward side or inland area. Some links, such as “As a result,” connect ideas, but the cause-and-effect relationship is not always accurate. Use clearer stage-by-stage sequencing and refer explicitly to the windward side, leeward side, and inland area.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “coastal areas,” “high altitude,” “mountains,” “dry winds,” and “rain shadow desert.” This gives the reader a basic sense of the topic. However, the range is limited, and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “daigram,” “conevrted,” “temprature,” “recieve,” and “percieve.” Some expressions are also unnatural or inaccurate, such as “the sea rose from the sea” and “the land result in rain shadow desert.” Aim for accurate terms from the diagram, such as “moist air,” “cools,” “precipitation,” and “leeward side,” and check spelling carefully. More precise collocations would make the process easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including cause-and-effect structures with “due to” and “As a result.” However, the range is limited, and errors in sentence construction and verb forms are frequent enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. For example, “the 7 stage process include” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “the winds rose from sea” uses an unsuitable verb form for describing a general process. The sentence “the rain falls on the mountains and making the temprature low” also combines verb forms incorrectly. Practise describing processes in the present simple, with clear subjects and parallel verb forms—for example, “Moist air rises, cools, and forms clouds.”

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