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 elucidates the formation of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the linear process accounts for seven different steps.

Additionally, it starts from winds and completing all those steps the dry wind reaches the inland area. Furthermore, the process contains thousand kilometer of distance.

In the first step winds starting blowing to the coast of sea. Then it begins to rose up beside the mountains.In the third step the escalated air begins to cool down and fill with moisture also it goes through cluouds with windward side. At the top hill in the fifth step it meets with rain falls and started to decend along the leeward side..By reaching seventh step the dry air which is go through all previous step finally reaches the inland areas where the formation of rain-shadow desert makes up.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the diagram as a seven-step process and include its broad direction, from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland. However, the account only partially explains the key stages: the relationship between rising, cooling moist air, cloud formation and rainfall is unclear, and the final description does not clearly state that the rain-shadow desert forms inland on the leeward side. The overview also introduces a distance of “thousand kilometer” without explaining the diagram’s horizontal scale. The response is 18 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail available. To strengthen the report, give a clear overview of the windward-to-leeward sequence and describe each important stage accurately and explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the process in roughly chronological order, and signposts such as “In the first step” and “In the third step” help the reader track the sequence. The opening also attempts an overview before the stage-by-stage account. However, the overview is split across several short statements, and the main description is compressed into one long paragraph, so the progression is not consistently clear. Some links are mechanical or confusing: “Additionally” and “Furthermore” add little, while “also” joins actions without clarifying their relationship. Use a distinct overview paragraph and group the stages into a logical sequence, with linking phrases that show cause and result, such as air rising, cooling, and producing rain.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “formation,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” which helps convey the diagram’s subject. There are also attempts at more formal wording, such as “elucidates,” although it is not a natural choice for describing a diagram. Several inaccurate or misspelled expressions reduce precision, including “escalated air,” “cluouds,” “rain falls,” and “thousand kilometer of distance.” “Dry wind” is also less precise than the diagram’s plural “dry winds.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling; for example, describe air as rising and cooling, and refer to rainfall and the distance shown on the diagram clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, including “By reaching seventh step…” and a sequence linked with “Then.” However, the longer constructions are often faulty, and errors frequently make the process difficult to follow. Examples include “winds starting blowing,” “it begins to rose up,” “the air … fill with moisture,” and “the dry air which is go through.” These show problems with verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. Articles and punctuation also need attention, as in “the formation of rain-shadow desert” and the missing space after “mountains.” Use a consistent present tense for the process and build each stage with a clear subject and verb, such as “The moist air rises, cools and forms clouds.”

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