Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 stages invovled in the development of a particular desert called rain-shadow.

Overall, it is evident that the process involved in the formation of this desert is a mutli-linear stages consisting of seven distinct stages which begins from where the moment winds approah coast and culminates at when the dry winds reach inland areas.

Regarding the first five stages, winds from the sea will approach the coast which is located between the sea and the mountain area, then the winds will move upwards over the moutains and at the next stage the wind will be converted into a moist air which will undergo cooling as it is rising ( this stage on the mountain area is also known as windward side ). Following this, clouds will be formed at the atmosphere and this will lead to rain falss at the peak of the mountain.

Turning to the other stages, after the down pours dry air will continues to move over mountains and this phase is called leeward side of the moutain. Finally, the dry winds will reach inland areas where the rain shadow desert is located. The distance between the coast and the desert is thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses the prompt by summarising the main features of how a rain-shadow desert is formed, referencing key stages from the sea to the inland area. The overview is somewhat confused by phrasing such as "mutli-linear stages consisting of seven distinct stages," as the diagram depicts a linear process rather than seven distinct numbered points. However, the student does trace the progression from winds approaching the coast, moving up the windward side, cloud formation and rain at the peak, down the leeward side as dry air, and finally reaching the inland desert. While some descriptions are slightly colloquial or imprecise, the main features are sufficiently reported and supported to satisfy the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall structure divided into an introduction, a body paragraph covering the first five stages, and a final body paragraph covering the remaining stages. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as "Regarding the first five stages," "Following this," and "Turning to the other stages." However, referencing and cohesion occasionally become mechanical or slightly awkward, as seen in "culminates at when the dry winds reach inland areas" and "after the down pours dry air will continues to move." Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the different sections of the diagram, leading to an overall score of 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating attempts to incorporate subject-specific terms such as "moist air," "cooling," "windward side," and "leeward side." However, there are numerous lexical inaccuracies and spelling errors throughout the text, including "invovled" instead of involved, "mutli-linear" instead of multi-linear, "approah" instead of approach, "rain falss" instead of rainfall, and "down pours" instead of downpours. These errors prevent the score from reaching higher bands, but because meaning remains generally clear, a band score of 5.5 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and temporal clauses (e.g., "winds from the sea will approach the coast which is located between the sea and the mountain area"). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with tense consistency and verb forms, such as "air will be converted... which will undergo... as it is rising," "dry air will continues," and awkward prepositional usage like "culminates at when." Punctuation errors also occur, such as unnecessary spaces inside parentheses. These errors occasionally cause minor reading friction, placing the response firmly at Band 5.5.

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

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