Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 how a rain-shadow desert is formed as a result of moist air move over a range of mountain.

Overall, the process consists of several stages, beginning with moist air travelling towards a mountain and ending with the formation of a dry desert on the opposite side. The key factor are rainfall on the windward slope and the warming air as it descend on the leeward side.

Initially, warm, moist air from the ocean approaches coast and pushed upwards on a mountain range. As the air reaches the mountain it rises and cools on the windward side. During the ascend, causing water vapour because of the moisture which treggers the process called condensation and formation of clouds. Consequently, precipitation occurs on this side of the mountain, providing rainfall to the surrounding areas.

After crossing the mountain peak, dry air start descending on the leeward side. When dry winds reaches inland areas it decreases the moisture in the air resulting in minimum or no rain on the other side of the mountain. Therefore, this region became a rain shadow desert because of extremely dry.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all the key stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process depicted in the diagram. You provide a clear overview in the second paragraph, identifying the main features such as rainfall on the windward slope and the warming air descending on the leeward side. The details follow the sequence logically from the ocean and coast through the mountain range to the inland rain-shadow desert. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting the visual details, such as stating 'warm, moist air from the ocean approaches coast and pushed upwards' rather than noting that winds approach the coast and are forced upwards. Overall, the task is well addressed and the main features are appropriately highlighted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement with logical progression from the beginning to the end of the process. Information is adequately divided into introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that address distinct parts of the diagram. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'After crossing', and 'Therefore' are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction/overview from the detailed body points. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional awkward phrasing creates slight pauses in the reading flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items related to geography and weather processes, such as 'condensation', 'precipitation', 'moisture', and 'leeward side'. However, there are noticeable word choice and morphological errors throughout the text, such as 'move over' instead of 'moving over', 'The key factor are' instead of 'is', 'ascend' instead of 'ascent', 'start descending' instead of 'starts descending', and 'extremely dry' instead of 'extreme dryness'. These errors reflect some limitations in lexical control, though communication is not impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and temporal prepositional phrases ('After crossing the mountain peak...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and voice, including 'moist air move over' (moving), 'winds ... pushed' (are pushed), 'air start descending' (starts), and 'this region became' (becomes). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical inaccuracies occur across most sentences, keeping the score at band 5.5.

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

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