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 different steps of a specific kind of desert being formed, called as the rain-shadow desert.

Firstly, the winds approach the sea coast which are the forced to go uphill due to steep mountains these winds due turn to moist air that becomes cold which in turn helps in cloud formation, the moist air turns into rain while the dry air moves over the mountain and goes back down, these dry wind then reach the inland areas where the form hot desert known as the Rain-shadow desert.

Winds passing through the sea coast turn to moist air and the side of mountain from which it rises is known as windward side whereas the side where dry air goes over and down the side of mountain is called as the Leeward side, the difference between both these sides is thousands of kilometers

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as the formation of a rain-shadow desert and include its main sequence: coastal winds rise over mountains, moisture leads to cloud and rain, and dry air continues inland. However, the stages are compressed into a single account, so some key relationships are unclear or incomplete; for example, the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form, and rain falling on the windward side. The final statement that the difference between the mountain sides is “thousands of kilometers” misreads the diagram: this label indicates the horizontal scale, not a distance between the sides. The response is also 7 words below the required minimum. Develop the overview and describe the stages more precisely, including the windward/leeward contrast.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the broad order of the process, and terms such as “Firstly” and “whereas” show an attempt to guide the reader and compare the two mountain sides. However, the account is difficult to follow because most of the stages are packed into one long sentence, with several ideas joined by commas rather than clearly separated. The second paragraph repeats the coastal-wind explanation instead of advancing the description, and the final comparison is unclear. Organise the response into a brief overview followed by a step-by-step account, using separate sentences for the windward and leeward stages. This would create clearer progression and make the links between stages easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “cloud formation,” “windward side,” “Leeward side,” and “inland areas,” which gives the response an adequate range for describing the diagram. Some choices are imprecise or awkward, however: “called as” is not the natural way to introduce a name, “turn to moist air” does not clearly express the change, and “hot desert” adds a feature not shown in the diagram. “The difference between both these sides” is also an unclear description of the scale label. Use precise process verbs and established collocations, such as “is known as,” “becomes saturated,” and “rain-shadow desert,” and avoid adding unsupported characteristics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt complex sentences to connect stages, using clauses such as “which in turn helps in cloud formation” and “whereas the side…” However, these structures are often faulty or overloaded, making relationships between actions hard to follow. For example, “the winds approach the sea coast which are the forced to go uphill” has problems with agreement and sentence construction, while the long second sentence contains several clauses joined only by commas. There are also errors in forms and articles, as in “these dry wind” and “the form hot desert.” Use shorter, controlled sentences and check subject–verb agreement, plural forms, articles, and punctuation. This will make the sequence clearer while allowing you to retain complex structures.

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