Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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 6.0)

The chart illustrates the formation of a type of desert known as rain-shadow desert.

As shown in diagram the rain-shadow desert is formed by a combination of several factors the significant of which is the presence of high altitude terrain between the desert formed and the sea, which actively blocks the rain from reaching the subsequent land.

So what happens is that as the wind approaches the sea it gets humid from the evaporation from the sea. Now the wind moves towards the land and approaches the coast but due to presence of High altitude mountains the humid wind gets pushed upwards where the moist air is cooled naturally cooled by lower temperature at higher altitudes, resulting in the formation of clouds. Due to cold temperatures these clouds prematurely rain there instead of moving towards the inland area and raining there and loses almost all of its humidity.

Then the dry air continues its journey towards inland. Due to this phenomena these inland areas rarely receive any rain and become dry deserts known as Rain shadow desert.

One thing to note is that the side of mountains which face the wind and receive rain is known as windward side while the other drier side is known as leeward side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully identifies the main features of the rain-shadow desert formation process. You have clearly explained the sequence of events, from the humid air rising over the mountains to the resulting dry conditions on the leeward side. The inclusion of technical terms like 'windward' and 'leeward' demonstrates a good grasp of the subject matter. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview is more distinct and integrated into the introduction or a separate summary paragraph, rather than just describing the steps sequentially. The explanation is accurate and covers all stages shown in the diagram effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized, moving step-by-step through the process. You use some cohesive devices such as 'as shown in', 'due to', and 'then', which help the reader follow the progression. However, the paragraphing is somewhat weak; the response is mostly one large block of text, which makes it harder to navigate. Breaking the text into distinct paragraphs—one for the introduction/overview and one or two for the detailed process—would significantly improve the flow and structure. Additionally, some transitions feel slightly repetitive or mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used some appropriate vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'humid', 'evaporation', 'altitude', and 'leeward'. This shows a good attempt to use topic-specific language. However, there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'the significant of which' (should be 'the most significant of which') and 'due to this phenomena' (should be 'due to this phenomenon'). Expanding your range of synonyms and ensuring correct word forms would help elevate the score. The vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey the meaning clearly despite these minor inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'as shown in diagram' (missing an article: 'the diagram'), 'naturally cooled by lower temperature' (should be 'temperatures'), and 'loses almost all of its humidity' (subject-verb agreement error, as the subject is 'clouds'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as these errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.

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.