Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-01

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 demonstrates the formation of a particular desert, which is named as rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it comprises seven steps, starts from approaching winds to coast and ends at arrival of dry winds on inland regions. In contrast , a mid point of this development is at when rain drops at peak of mountain.

The information shows that in first stage water from sea reaches at coastline through the direction of winds and then in second step high pressure by air pushes the water towards upward, which increases the level of moisture in air and make it cooler at third step and hit the Windward side. Meanwhile, clouds take a form at fourth level. Afterwards, rain is next step, which provides require water for this process.

Turning to, the second last step is a continuation of dry air on mountains, which is at the Leeward side. By following it, the final stage of a rain-shadow desert is ended up, when the non wet flow of air appears in inland places. Furthermore, it the mountains on which this process takes place covers millions of kilometres and a rain-shadow desert will show after all these stages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, identifying the key features such as the windward and leeward sides. However, the description is somewhat mechanical, focusing on counting steps rather than explaining the scientific progression clearly. While the main features are reported, the explanation of the process lacks precision in scientific terminology (e.g., 'non wet flow of air' instead of 'dry air'). The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the contrast between the two sides of the mountain. Overall, the response addresses the task requirements but requires more sophisticated synthesis of the information provided in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes awkward or mechanical, such as 'Turning to, the second last step' and 'By following it'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the connection between the mountain range and the desert formation is slightly disjointed. While there is a logical progression from the sea to the inland regions, the flow between sentences could be improved by using more varied and natural linking phrases to connect the stages of the process more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. Phrases like 'non wet flow of air' and 'take a form at fourth level' are unnatural and imprecise. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'windward' and 'leeward', which is positive. However, the range is limited, and there are instances of word-choice errors, such as 'ended up' and 'provides require water', which hinder the sophistication of the writing. To improve, focus on using more accurate scientific terminology and collocations related to weather and geography.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'starts from approaching winds to coast', 'reaches at coastline', and 'it the mountains on which this process takes place covers'. These errors, particularly with prepositions and subject-verb agreement, are noticeable. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention should be paid to basic sentence construction, article usage, and ensuring that complex structures are formed accurately.

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