Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-12

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 formation of rain-shadow deserts. At geographical representation in the diagram comprises of a sea, a mountain and a desert, arranged from left to right in the same order. First, wind above the sea approches the coast carrrying moisture from the sea. The wind rises upwards along the mountain. As the air rises, the temperture in the air falls and the moisture in the air condenses into clouds. The condensed cloudes bursts into rain at the left-top of the mountain, which causes the air to loose moisture. The moist air from the windward side of the mountain becomes dry at the leeward side after crossing thousands of kilometers.This dry reaches the inland positioned at the right side of diagram. Since no moisture reached the inland, desert begins to form in the inland. This creates a contrast in the weather and landscape in two sides of the mountain: rainy in one side and desert in another. The deserts created in this mechanism are known as the rain-shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence and give a clear overall contrast between the rainy windward side and the dry inland area, which shows a good grasp of the process. Details such as air rising and cooling, cloud formation, rainfall, and the movement of dry air over the mountain are relevant and mostly accurate. The response also identifies the rain-shadow desert as the outcome. To make the account more complete and precise, distinguish more clearly between the wind approaching from the sea and the air becoming dry after rain falls; the phrase “Since no moisture reached the inland” overstates the diagram, which shows dry winds reaching inland. The opening description of the geographical layout is less useful than a concise overview of the causal process.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and sequencing expressions such as “First” and “As the air rises” help the reader follow the process. The final sentence also provides a clear concluding link to the term “rain-shadow deserts.” However, the response is written as one continuous paragraph, so the overview and process details are not clearly separated. Some links between stages are abrupt: for example, “The moist air … becomes dry …” compresses rainfall and the crossing of the mountain into one step. There is also an unclear reference in “This dry reaches the inland.” Group the overview separately and use explicit links to show how rainfall causes the air to continue inland as dry wind.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “condenses,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “inland,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is some range in describing the changes from moist air to dry air. However, several spelling errors—“approches,” “temperture,” “cloudes,” and “loose”—are noticeable, and some word choices or collocations are imprecise. “The condensed cloudes bursts into rain” is not a natural way to describe precipitation, while “geographical representation” and “desert begins to form in the inland” are awkward. Aim for accurate, conventional process language and check spelling carefully; this would make the description clearer and more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “As the air rises, the temperture in the air falls and the moisture … condenses into clouds.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. The opening sentence, “At geographical representation in the diagram comprises of…,” has an incomplete and incorrectly formed structure. In “The condensed cloudes bursts,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “This dry reaches the inland” lacks a clear grammatical subject. There are also problems with articles and sentence boundaries, including the missing space after “kilometers.” Use complete, direct sentence patterns and check agreement and article use while retaining the useful cause-and-effect 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.