Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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 rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it is evident that the rain-shadow desert formation has two sides. It starts from the windward side and ends at the leeward side. The mountain separates the coast and the inland, which is about thousands of kilometers.

At the windward side, the winds approach the coast from the sea and pushed in an upward direction along the side of the mountain. Next, moist air rises from the winds and cools while the dry air moves over to the leeward side. The moist air leads to the formation of clouds. After that, rain begin to fall around the side of the mountain.

At the leeward side, dry air from the windward side continues over the mountain in a downward position. Following this, the dry winds move continually downward till it reach the inland areas known as rain-shadow desert. However, more in incidents occurs in the windward side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully identifies the main features of the diagram detailing the formation of a rain-shadow desert, covering the progression from the winds approaching the coast, rising over the mountain, cooling, producing rain, and finally reaching the inland leeward side. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, stating that the formation has two sides and spans thousands of kilometers. However, the overview is somewhat simplistic, and the final sentence ('However, more in incidents occurs in the windward side') is slightly unclear and weakly supported. Overall, all major parts of the visual data are addressed, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is divided into a logical paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to an overview, and then splitting the process into the windward and leeward sides. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the stages, such as 'Overall', 'Next', 'After that', and 'Following this'. However, referencing and progression occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive ('At the windward side', 'At the leeward side'). Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall progression is clear, though transitional links between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a geographical process, including terms like 'windward side', 'leeward side', 'moist air', and 'inland areas'. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'more in incidents occurs' instead of 'more activity occurs' or 'more precipitation falls', and 'rain begin to fall' instead of 'begins'. While less common lexical items are attempted, inaccuracies in word form and expression limit the score to a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The mountain separates the coast and the inland, which is about thousands of kilometers.' There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('rain begin to fall'), missing articles ('formation of rain-shadow desert'), and awkward passive/active constructions ('winds approached... and pushed in an upward direction'). Nevertheless, these errors do not severely impede overall communication, allowing the reader to follow the described process.

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

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