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 diagram illustrates the formation of a rain-shadow desert.

Overall, there are seven curcial steps which helps to form the rain-shadow deserts. Wind approach from sea coast is the initial step and the formation reached to its end wiith dry winds reach inland areas. The formation process go over through the mountains. Distance are measured in thousands of kilometres.

Initialy, winds approached coast from the sea. Then these winds pushed upwards.After reaching a certain height moist air rises and began to cools, those cold air form light clouds but these clouds went up and get hevier so rains began to fall from those clouds. This all happened on windward side.

By contrast, dry air continues wondering from windward side to the leeward side and it continues towards till reaching inland areas. That's how after finishing all the steps a rain-shadow desert in formed on an inland far thoudand of kilometres from the sea-coast.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence and give an overall account, identifying the sea as the source of the winds, the mountain crossing, rainfall on the windward side, and dry winds reaching inland. This addresses the process, but some stages are less accurately or fully explained. For example, the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form; your account adds that clouds become “hevier” and “went up,” which is not shown. The final location is also described as “far thoudand of kilometres,” whereas the diagram indicates a horizontal scale of thousands of kilometres, not a precise distance from the sea. To strengthen the report, describe each stage in the diagram’s order and avoid adding unsupported details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by the early stages and then the movement of dry air inland. Sequencing words such as “Overall,” “Then,” and “By contrast” help the reader follow the process. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear, particularly in the long sentence beginning “After reaching a certain height,” where several events are joined together and the reference of “those cold air” is difficult to follow. The contrast marker “By contrast” is also not quite appropriate, since the final stages continue the same process rather than present an opposing idea. Use shorter, clearly linked sentences and refer explicitly to “the air” or “the winds” to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” and “dry winds,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some variety in verbs such as “approached,” “pushed,” and “continues.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal: “wondering” does not describe air movement, “go over through” is awkward, and “hevier” is both misspelled and unsuitable for describing clouds here. Spelling errors such as “curcial,” “Initialy,” and “thoudand” also reduce precision. Aim for accurate process verbs and standard spelling, and avoid adding descriptions that are not supported by the diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence with a time clause (“After reaching a certain height…”) and a concluding clause beginning “That's how.” However, errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to process. Examples include “seven…steps which helps,” “The formation process go,” and “moist air rises and began to cools,” where agreement and tense patterns are inconsistent. The sentence about clouds and rain also joins several clauses without clear grammatical boundaries. Practise keeping the process consistently in the present simple and checking subject–verb agreement; then divide longer sequences into complete sentences with clear clause links.

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