Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The formation of what is known as a rain-shadow desert, the process is displayed in the figure below.

Overall, the cycle, of which this type of desert is formed, includes a nearby sea with a mountain in the middle to act as a barrier. The cycle is includes 7 repeated steps, start from the sea and end up with the inland areas.

The first 5 steps include rain formation resulted from a wind approaching the coastal side. As wind approachs, it collects moisture and cool upward to the summit of the mountain. Consequently, clouds begin to gather and moisture condenses. At the top of the mountain rain begins to fall, and as a result wind dry up.

After rain falls, and thousands of kilometers away, wind dry up, at the Leewar side. Dry air continues over the mountain and move down stream. The dry air then settles at the bottom end of the hill, forming the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and give an overall account of the sea, mountain barrier and inland desert. The sequence from approaching winds through cloud formation and rainfall to dry air reaching the leeward side is broadly accurate. However, some details are unclear or imprecise: the diagram shows winds being forced upwards, then moist air rising and cooling, whereas “it collects moisture and cool upward” compresses these stages and does not clearly explain them. The claim that the process has “7 repeated steps” is also misleading; these are sequential stages, not repeated ones. The final description of the desert forming at the “bottom end of the hill” is less precise than its inland location beyond the leeward side. Develop these stages more accurately and distinguish the windward and leeward sides clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable progression: an introduction and overview are followed by the rainfall stages and then the dry-air stages. This makes the process generally easy to follow, and sequencing phrases such as “The first 5 steps” and “After rain falls” help guide the reader. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. “The cycle, of which this type of desert is formed” is awkward, and “After rain falls, and thousands of kilometers away” makes the distance seem to describe the timing or location of rainfall rather than the diagram’s horizontal scale. The repeated use of “wind” and “dry air” also makes the final paragraph feel less connected. Use clearer stage links and refer explicitly to the windward and leeward sides to strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “barrier,” “moisture,” “condenses,” “summit,” and “leeward side,” which helps communicate the main mechanism. Some less common terms are attempted, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram. “The cycle” suggests a repeating process, while “move down stream” does not describe air descending the mountain, and “wind dry up” is an imprecise collocation. There is also a spelling error in “Leewar.” These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the general process, but they reduce precision. Prefer established geographical phrasing such as “process,” “descends the leeward slope,” and “dry air reaches inland areas.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures such as “Consequently, clouds begin to gather” and “as a result.” However, some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make relationships unclear. The opening is a sentence fragment: “The formation of what is known as a rain-shadow desert, the process is displayed…” The overview also has faulty construction in “The cycle is includes 7 repeated steps, start from the sea.” Subject–verb agreement and verb forms need attention in “As wind approachs” and “wind dry up,” while “Dry air continues over the mountain and move down stream” lacks parallel verb agreement. Practise complete sentence structures and consistent verb forms; this will make your process description more controlled and easier to read.

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

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