Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

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 illustration shows how a particular type of desert, known as a rain shadow desert, is formed.

Overall, the process consists of seven stages, moist air blows from sea towards coast and rises upwards when encounter mountains. It condenses to form clouds which causes rainfall at windward side. Subsequently, cool air becomes dry to reach the inland areas through leeward side of mountain to form a rain shadow desert.

When the winds blow it reaches from sea to coast. It pushes upward when mountains came across it's way. It becomes cool as it rises and form water vapours due to condensation process. Which causes a significant amount of rainfall on the windward side.

In the subseqent stages, dry air passes over the mountain through the leeward side. At this stage it becomes warmer and drier. Finally, these dry air reaches the inland areas responsible for lack of moisture which prevents significant rainfall, resulting in the formation of rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the process as a sequence and give a relevant overview: moist air rises over the mountains, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air continues inland to create a desert. Most key stages are included, and the final lack of moisture is a useful explanation. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the air is described as becoming “cool air” and later “warmer and drier,” while the diagram specifically shows moist air rising and cooling, then dry air crossing the mountain. The overview could also distinguish the windward and leeward sides more precisely. The response is 149 words, one word below the required minimum; add a little relevant detail to meet the task requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Subsequently,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process. However, progression is not consistently smooth: the first body paragraph repeats the overview, and “When the winds blow it reaches from sea to coast” restates the opening rather than advancing the description. Some connections are awkward or unclear, particularly “Which causes a significant amount of rainfall,” which is a sentence fragment and has an unclear reference. Organise the body in a single, continuous sequence and use pronouns with clear antecedents to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “condensation,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “lack of moisture,” which helps communicate the main stages. There is some variety in how you describe movement and change. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive: “form water vapours due to condensation” does not clearly express that cooling leads to condensation and cloud formation, while “mountains came across it’s way” is unnatural. “Dry air” is repeated, and “significant amount of rainfall” is more emphatic than the diagram supports. Check spelling as well, including “subseqent,” and aim for precise, natural process language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex structures, including a relative clause in “dry air reaches the inland areas responsible for lack of moisture” and a sequence of linked stages in the overview. However, errors occur across sentence forms, verb agreement, tense, and punctuation. For example, “when encounter mountains” lacks a subject, “winds blow it reaches” has faulty agreement and sentence structure, and “Which causes” is an incomplete sentence. The apostrophe in “it’s way” is also incorrect in this context. These problems sometimes make relationships between stages difficult to follow. Practise complete clauses and consistent present-tense descriptions of processes, then check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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