Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-02

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 dry inland area formed by the wind flowing from the sea travelling thousands of kilometers is called Rain-Shadow Desert. The picture represents how Rain- shadow desert is formed in inland areas.

First of all, Wind from sea approaches towards the coast of sea and then move upwards to the mountains and during the process moisture content in air increases forming moist air which will continue to towards the top of mountains along with the cooling process. Due to this process, there will be formation of cloud in windward side of the mountains, and such formed cloud start to rise until they reach peak of the mountains. After this process precipitation occurs in windward side of mountains forming dry air.

Such formed dry air continues to flow below mountain in leeward side, and it starts to move downward towards inland areas. By completing all mentioned processes dry winds finally reach to inland area which is also recognized as Rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, from the sea to the inland rain-shadow area. However, the description of the process is somewhat inaccurate; for instance, you state that moisture content increases as air moves up the mountain, whereas in reality, moisture is lost through precipitation. Additionally, the explanation of the cooling process is slightly confused. While you have identified the main features, the lack of precision in describing the scientific mechanism prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure you carefully observe the causal relationships depicted in the diagram and use more precise terminology to describe the physical changes occurring at each stage.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, following the sequence of the process from the sea to the inland area. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Due to this process', and 'After this process' to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and the paragraphing is underdeveloped; the entire body is essentially one long block. To reach a higher band, try to group related stages into distinct paragraphs—for example, one for the windward side and one for the leeward side—and vary your linking words to create a more natural, sophisticated flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'moisture content', 'precipitation', 'windward', and 'leeward'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'approaches towards the coast of sea' (which is redundant) and 'move upwards to the mountains'. The phrasing is sometimes repetitive, particularly the use of 'process' and 'formed'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding unnecessary repetition. Expanding your range to include more descriptive verbs and nouns related to geographical processes would also help elevate your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'Wind from sea approaches towards the coast of sea and then move upwards' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('move' should be 'moves'). There are also issues with article usage, such as 'in windward side' (should be 'on the windward side') and 'reach peak of the mountains' (should be 'reach the peak'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band. Focus on proofreading for articles, prepositions, and subject-verb agreement to improve your accuracy.

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