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 diagram depicts the natural formation of a rain-shadow desert which passes by several stages from wind formation through the sea to cloud formation and until the dry air forms through rainfall until it reaches the ground.

Firstly, wind arises from the sea shores around the coastal area from where it go upward through the mountains. Meanwhile, the wind becomes moist air which gets cool and rise high till it form clouds on the windward side. Later, the cloud formation starts raining.

Furthermore, the rainfall forms, the dry air which continue to come down on the leeward side, which then goes until down the inland areas. The dry wind which reaches the ground will evantually form one type of desert which is called rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the mountains which contain thousands of kilometres of area, are the subject on which these natural processes go through a lot of different phases to form one type of desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers the main sequence: winds approach from the sea, rise over the mountains, cool and form clouds, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air reaches inland to create a rain-shadow desert. This gives the reader a generally accurate account of the process. However, some stages are not clearly distinguished: the opening says the process continues “until the dry air forms through rainfall,” which confuses rainfall with the later movement of dry air. The final overview also misreads the scale, claiming the mountains “contain thousands of kilometres of area”; the diagram’s label refers to the horizontal distance. Make the overview more precise and explain the windward-to-leeward contrast clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement, with an opening, a sequence of stages, and a concluding overview. “Firstly” and “Furthermore” help signal progression, and the reader can follow the broad movement from coast to inland. However, the links are sometimes mechanical or unclear: “Meanwhile” does not establish a clear contrast, while “Furthermore, the rainfall forms, the dry air…” makes the relationship between rain and dry air difficult to follow. The final sentence also shifts from summarising the process to an inaccurate comment about the mountains’ scale. To strengthen progression, organise the stages in clear chronological paragraphs and use linking expressions that show cause and result, such as “As a result” or “After precipitation falls.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the process, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “rainfall,” and “rain-shadow desert.” These terms help convey the diagram’s main features, and the meaning is generally recoverable. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “wind arises from the sea shores” is not a natural way to describe winds approaching the coast, and “the rainfall forms, the dry air” obscures the intended relationship. “The subject on which these natural processes go through” is also an awkward expression. Choose precise process verbs such as “approach,” “rise,” “cool,” “condense,” and “continue inland,” and check spelling, including “eventually.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and time markers such as “until” and “when.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “from where it go upward” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “the wind becomes moist air which gets cool and rise” contains problems with verb forms and agreement. The sentence beginning “Furthermore, the rainfall forms” is also structurally incomplete or confusing, while “the dry air which continue” needs agreement. Work on consistent subject–verb agreement, parallel verb forms, and complete sentence construction. Shorter, controlled sentences would help make the sequence clearer while retaining some complex structures.

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