Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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 describes the process of formation of one type of desert, known as a rain shadow desert.

Overall, the formation of rain shadow desert is a natural natural process. Flow of wind from sea toward mountains, formation of cloud, rain, dry air flow over the mountain.

Wind is coming from the sea, from the Coast the wind flowinng on the steep path. As the level of the wind increases it becomes cool due to decrease in temperature.

When the wind is passing from the windward side than the clouds form. At the hill side of mountain the rain falls. In the next side of mountian the drry air moves over the mountian. After the leeward side the air move down from the slops and it reach on the inland areas. At this area, the rain shadow desert come in exsistent. The distance from the sea to the inlandd areas are thousands of kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process and include several key stages: wind comes from the sea, rises near the mountains, clouds and rain form on the windward side, and dry air reaches inland to create a desert. However, the overview is unclear and repetitive (“natural natural process”) and does not clearly summarise the cause-and-effect pattern. Some details are inaccurate or imprecise: the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form, while your account says the wind cools “as the level…increases” and places rain at the “hill side.” You also mention the thousands-of-kilometres scale. The response is 144 words, six short of the required minimum; develop the stages more fully and meet the word limit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence, moving from the sea and coast to the mountains and then inland, and the opening overview signals that it is a process description. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview lists stages in fragments, and the body does not always make the order or relationships precise. For example, “When the wind is passing from the windward side than the clouds form” is difficult to follow, while “In the next side” is an unclear reference to the leeward side. Repeated use of “the wind” and “the air” also makes the account feel repetitive. Use separate overview and detail paragraphs, and connect each stage with clear sequencing and cause-and-effect links.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “inland areas,” and “rain shadow desert,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision. Phrases such as “steep path,” “the rain shadow desert come in exsistent,” and “air move down from the slops” are not natural descriptions of the diagram. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “flowinng,” “mountian,” “drry,” and “inlandd.” Choose standard process terms such as “rise,” “cool,” “precipitation,” and “form,” and check spelling carefully so the reader can follow the stages without distraction.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a time clause beginning “As the level of the wind increases” and a sequence of events in the final sentences. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to understand. Examples include “the wind flowinng,” “the clouds form,” “the air move down,” and “it reach,” where verb forms or subject–verb agreement are not controlled. The sentence “When the wind is passing from the windward side than the clouds form” also has a faulty clause structure. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of general processes, checking agreement and sentence boundaries; then add a few correctly formed clauses to show sequence and cause.

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