Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-07

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 given diagram illustrates the steps of a desert formation and it is called rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it is clearly seen that there are total seven steps of rain-shadow desert formation which starts from sea level wind and accross mountains to reach inland where rain-shadow desert is formed.

In the first step, wind approach coast meanwhile in the next step, it is pushed upwards to the mountains. In the thrid step, moist air rises and cools. After that, clouds form and in the fifth step, rain falls. Moreover, it occurs in the windward side.

Moving forward to the sixth step, dry air continues over mountain and it occurs in the leeward side opposite to the windward side. In the last step, dry winds reach inland areas. This is how rain shadow desert is formed after completing all the seven steps and winds need to travel thousands of kilometers for that.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence and give an overview that the process has seven stages, moving from the sea across the mountains to inland areas. The details about rising, cooling air, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry winds reaching inland are relevant and broadly match the diagram. You also identify the windward and leeward sides, which helps explain the process. However, the overview could explain the key cause-and-effect more clearly: moist air loses its rain on the windward side, leaving dry air to cross the mountains and create a desert inland. The final point about winds travelling “thousands of kilometers” is not clearly connected to the formation process. More precise explanation of this relationship would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the early stages and then the later stages. Sequencing phrases such as “In the first step,” “After that,” and “Moving forward to the sixth step” make the order easy to follow. This gives the account coherent progression, although some linking is mechanical because the stages are repeatedly introduced by number. The reference in “Moreover, it occurs in the windward side” is also unclear: the reader has to infer that “it” refers to rainfall. Grouping the stages into a more connected explanation of moist air on the windward side and dry air on the leeward side would improve cohesion and make the paragraph flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds form,” “rain falls,” “dry air,” and “windward” and “leeward side.” This is an adequate range for describing the diagram, and the meaning is generally clear. Some choices are imprecise or awkward, however: “sea level wind” does not accurately describe the winds approaching from the sea, while “it occurs in the windward side” is an unnatural way to locate rainfall. There are also spelling errors in “accross” and “thrid,” and the compound term “rain-shadow desert” is not consistently hyphenated. Aim for precise process collocations and check spelling, especially for key terms that recur in the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, and the sequence is usually understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, including subject–verb agreement in “wind approach coast,” the awkward construction “there are total seven steps,” and the clause “which starts from sea level wind and accross mountains.” Articles and prepositions are also missing or inaccurate in phrases such as “to the mountains” and “in the windward side.” The final sentence combines several ideas with “and” without clearly showing their relationship. More accurate control of articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries would strengthen the response; for example, use a clear passive form for the stages and separate the process overview from the distance detail.

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