Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-06

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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the process of the formation of rain-shadow deserts.

Overall, the process consists of 6 stages, beginning with the wind approches the coast to formation of clouds and ending with dry air travelled though the mountain and reaches the inland areas.

Initially, winds travels through the sea and approaches the coastal area, to hit the Windward side mountain, winds pushed it to upwards where it converted into moist air and cool, which helps the formation of the clouds. The remained moisture in the clouds transformed into the rain, furthermore, when the moist clouds hit the mountain, water starts falling from the clouds.

Therefore, crossing all the sea and travelled thousand of kilometres after all that transformation wind reached its sixth stage which is dry air. Dry air continues its journey over the mountain and passes the leeward side of the mountain and reaches its final stage dry winds reached the inland areas where the rain-shadow desert been formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the process and describe its main direction, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland and creating a rain-shadow desert. The account also includes the key mountain-related stages: air is forced upwards, clouds form, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air continues beyond the mountain. This covers the task well. However, the overview says there are six stages, whereas the diagram presents seven, and some details are unclear or inaccurate: the wind does not travel through the sea, and the moisture does not transform into rain; rather, moist air cools, clouds form, and precipitation falls. To strengthen the response further, give a more precise overview and explain the windward-to-leeward contrast clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological account of the process. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially” and “Therefore” help signal movement through the stages. However, the progression is not always smooth because several stages are packed into long sentences, especially the description beginning “Initially, winds travels…”. The link “Therefore” does not clearly express the relationship between the preceding rainfall and the dry air’s journey, and “after all that transformation” is vague. Some references, such as “it” and “all that transformation,” make it harder to identify exactly what is moving or changing. Use shorter stage-by-stage sentences and clearer links such as “As a result” or “On the leeward side.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “Windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “dry air,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some variety in verbs such as “approaches,” “crossing,” and “reaches.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “winds travels through the sea,” “converted into moist air,” and “the remained moisture.” “Approches” is also misspelled, and “thousand of kilometres” is not expressed naturally. These issues do not prevent the reader from following the general process, but more precise vocabulary would improve clarity. Prefer standard process descriptions such as “winds blow in from the sea,” “the air cools,” and “rain falls on the windward side.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses linked with “where” and “which,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, grammatical control is uneven, particularly in longer sentences. Examples include “winds travels,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “wind approches … to formation,” where the verb form and sentence construction are faulty. In “Dry air continues its journey … and reaches,” the tense shifts from present to past in the surrounding description, while “the rain-shadow desert been formed” is missing an auxiliary verb. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention. Use the present simple consistently for a process, check subject–verb agreement, and divide the long opening process sentence into shorter, complete clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.