Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the formation of a landscape called the type of desert, known as the "rain-shadow desert". As shown by the diagram, these types of deserts are formed in areas where there are mountains and water bodies like sea or ocean nearby.

First of all, there's a Maritime airmass in simple words a large body of moist air carrying high content of water vapours blows from sea towards the land. However, mountains on the land act as barriers so that moist air is pushed upwards where it cools and condenses because the water vapour have a higher temperature but the temperature on top of the mountain is cooler therefore condensation happens because of which clouds form .At the top of the mountain the clouds condense and rainfall starts. After all the rain the air is free from moisture and water vapour and is cooler than the air down so it flows down towards the inland areas. Where the hot air becomes less dense and rises so a gap is formed this cool air then travels down to the land behind or next to these mountains eventually turn into rain shadow deserts because they only recieve dry winds so they experience less or no rainfall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, identifying the maritime airmass, the mountain barrier, condensation, and the resulting dry air. However, the explanation is slightly confused in the second paragraph, particularly regarding the temperature dynamics and the movement of air. While the main features are identified, the description lacks the precision required for a higher band. The explanation of why the air becomes 'less dense' and 'rises' is scientifically inaccurate in the context of the diagram provided, which shows the air descending. The response would benefit from a clearer, more logical step-by-step progression that strictly follows the visual information provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organised into two paragraphs, which is appropriate for a short report. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'However', and 'After all the rain'. However, the flow within the second paragraph is somewhat disjointed due to long, run-on sentences and awkward transitions. For instance, the sentence starting with 'Where the hot air becomes less dense...' lacks a clear connection to the previous clause, making the progression of ideas feel mechanical rather than fluid. Improved use of punctuation and clearer signposting would enhance the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'maritime airmass', 'moist air', 'condenses', and 'water vapour'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'in simple words a large body of moist air' and 'the water vapour have a higher temperature'. These errors, while not impeding communication, show a lack of precision. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more sophisticated collocations and avoid informal phrasing like 'in simple words'. The range is sufficient to describe the process but lacks the flexibility needed for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('water vapour have') and punctuation. Many sentences are overly long and lack necessary commas, which makes them difficult to parse. For example, '...is cooler than the air down so it flows down towards the inland areas. Where the hot air becomes less dense and rises so a gap is formed this cool air then travels down...' contains run-on structures and sentence fragments. Greater attention to sentence boundaries and basic grammatical accuracy is required.

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