Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-09

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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates how a rain-shadow desert is formed from the sea to the inland, after passing the mountain.

Overall, it is a linear diagram with 7 stages. It starts with the sea when the winds approach coast and results in dry winds reaching inland areas.

This process can be divided into two major stages, one is clouds form, and the other one is dry winds reaching the inland. When the winds approach the coast from the sea, and pushed upward of the mountain, which is known as the windward side. While going upward, moist air rises and cools, and from those cool air the clouds form.

At the top of the mountain it rains, and then in the sixth step, the dry air starts going downward from the mountain, which is known as the leeward side. Eventually, in the last step, the dry winds reach the inland areas and this is how the rain-shadow deserts form.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence and give a clear overall account: winds move from the sea towards the mountains, rain falls on the windward side, and dry winds continue inland to create the desert. The seven-stage framing also helps show the process as a whole. However, some details are less fully or precisely explained. For example, “pushed upward of the mountain” does not clearly state that the mountain forces the winds upwards, and the description of the dry air moving down the leeward side could be more explicit. The overview mainly repeats the start and end points rather than highlighting the key contrast between moist air producing rain on the windward side and dry air reaching the inland side. A sharper overview and more precise stage descriptions would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence, moving from an introduction and overview to the stages before and after rainfall. Paragraphing supports this progression, and time markers such as “Overall,” “At the top,” and “Eventually” help the reader follow the process. Some connections are less smooth or clear, however. “This process can be divided into two major stages, one is clouds form” is awkwardly joined, and the division into two stages is not clearly maintained in the following explanation. The repeated references to “the last step” and “in the sixth step” also make the account feel somewhat mechanical. Use clearer links to show cause and effect, and connect each stage directly to the next rather than relying mainly on numbered-step references.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds form,” “dry air,” “windward side,” and “leeward side.” These terms are relevant and help communicate the diagram’s main features. There are also attempts at more precise phrasing, such as “linear diagram” and “rain-shadow deserts.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive: “pushed upward of the mountain” is unclear, while “from those cool air” is not a natural way to describe cloud formation. “Going downward” communicates the direction but is less precise than a process verb such as “descends.” Greater control of collocations and more varied verbs for movement and cause would make the description more fluent and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning with “When” and “While,” and the sequence is generally understandable. However, several sentence structures are faulty, which limits grammatical control. “When the winds approach the coast from the sea, and pushed upward of the mountain” is an incomplete construction: the second verb needs a clear subject and a parallel form. “While going upward, moist air rises and cools, and from those cool air the clouds form” also combines clauses awkwardly and has an unclear grammatical relationship. In addition, “one is clouds form” needs a more complete structure, such as “one is cloud formation.” Practise forming complete clauses and checking subject–verb relationships, articles, and singular/plural forms while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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