Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-26

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 the process by which rain-shadow desert is formed when moist air travelled from the sea across a mountain range.

Overall, the process comprises of seven main stages, beginning with winds approaching coast and ending with dry air reaching inland areas. The key feature is that rainfall occurs at the Windward side while the Leeward side remains dry, creating a rain-shadow desert.

Initially, the wind from sea approached the coast and pushed upwards across the mountain. As the moist air rises along the windward side, it cools and causes clouds to form. At higher altitude the moisture condenses and rain falls on windward side of mountain.

After losing much of its moisture, the air passes down to the mountain towards Leeward side. As reaching downward it becomes extremely dry and causing dry air. Finally, dry winds travel further inland, where little rainfall occur. As for result, rain-shadow desert formed comprises thousand of kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the process, identifying the key stages from the moist air approaching the coast to the formation of the rain-shadow desert. The overview is clear and highlights the contrast between the windward and leeward sides. However, the description of the process is slightly underdeveloped in places; for instance, the explanation of why the air becomes dry is a bit simplistic. While the main points are addressed, the response could benefit from a more precise description of the atmospheric changes occurring at each stage to fully meet the requirements for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that follow the chronological order of the process. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'After', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the stages. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'As reaching downward it becomes extremely dry and causing dry air', which lacks a clear subject. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the stages of the process, contributing to the overall coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with relevant terms like 'moist air', 'condenses', 'windward', and 'leeward' used correctly. There are some instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'As for result' instead of 'As a result' and 'comprises thousand of kilometers' which is grammatically and lexically imprecise. While the range is sufficient to convey the meaning, there is a lack of more sophisticated or varied vocabulary that would demonstrate a higher level of control. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'moist air travelled' (tense inconsistency), 'process comprises of' (incorrect preposition), 'As reaching downward' (incorrect participle usage), and 'little rainfall occur' (subject-verb agreement). While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. A more careful proofreading of verb tenses and sentence construction would improve the accuracy of the writing.

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

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