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 illustrates how a rain shadow desert is formed.

Overall, the formation of rain shadow deserts started in sea and ended in a inland by crossing a mountain. The whole process placed on thousands of kilometres.

The formation of rain shadow desert started from sea, with it's wind approach coast. Those winds pushed upwards to a mountain hill. When those winds reached the windward side, the air became moist and cools. This way clouds were formed . As a reasult, rain fell in the hill track. But air continued to dry over the mountain. After passing the leeward side , those dry winds reached to inland areas and formed rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process and give a basic overview, tracing it from the sea, across the mountain, to inland areas. Most key stages are included, including upward movement, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry winds reaching inland. However, the account is brief and some details are unclear or imprecise: “air became moist and cools” does not clearly explain that moist air rises and cools, and “formed rain shadow desert” suggests the winds themselves create it without explaining the dry conditions. The response also contains only 113 words, below the required 150, so the process is not developed sufficiently. Add detail about the windward and leeward sides and explain how the rain-shadow effect results in an inland desert.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological description of the stages. Sequencing words such as “When,” “As a result,” and “After passing” help the reader follow the process. The overall progression is coherent, but some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “This way clouds were formed” and “But air continued to dry over the mountain” do not connect the cause-and-effect relationships as precisely as they could. Paragraphing is also limited, with the process details presented in one block. Use a separate paragraph for the stages and clearer links such as “As the air rises, it cools, causing clouds to form” to make the sequence smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “clouds,” and “rain fell,” so the main subject is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “mountain hill,” “hill track,” and “reached to inland areas.” There are also spelling and form errors, including “reasult” and “it's” where a possessive is intended. These choices make parts of the description less precise, even though the reader can understand the general process. Build a more accurate set of terms for describing movement and weather processes, and check spelling and collocations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer clauses, for example, “When those winds reached the windward side…” and “After passing the leeward side…”. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward. Examples include “started in sea,” “a inland,” and “The whole process placed,” which need articles and a passive verb form. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent in “the air became moist and cools,” while punctuation is uneven around spaces before full stops and commas. Practise accurate article use and consistent past-tense or passive constructions, such as “The process takes place over thousands of kilometres” and “the air cools as it rises.”

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