Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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 process of forming a rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the forming process of rain-shadow desert consists of 7 different stages, from approaching winds toward coast to the final inland rain-shadow desert. The air flows thousands of kilometres in this process.

Initially, winds from the sea approach toward the coastal area. After reaching to the coast, the wind pushed upwards by the mountain that stood tall between the rain-shadow desert and the ocen. Next, the air rises higher and loses its temparature. After the air being cold, it starts to form clouds on windward side.

In the following stage, the air in form of clouds, rises to the peak of the mountains and starts raining over there. After that, the rainy clouds start to move in the direction of inland. Soon after rain stops, the dry air continues over the mountains and reaches the other side of it which is known as Leeward side. Then the dry air starts to decline along with the edge of mountains. Finally, it reaches to inland and start forming the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all key stages of the process diagram well, successfully tracing the formation of a rain-shadow desert from winds approaching the coast to the final dry inland area. The overview is clear, correctly identifying the 7 distinct stages and the scale of thousands of kilometres. However, there are minor omissions or slightly inaccurate descriptions of certain mechanical steps (for example, stating that 'rainy clouds start to move' rather than dry air continuing over the mountain, and minor slips in describing the geography). Despite these slight descriptive flaws, the main features are well-selected and presented, fulfilling the core requirements of Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized and follows the chronological order of the process diagram. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, initial stages, and concluding stages. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'After reaching to the coast', 'Next', and 'In the following stage' are used effectively to guide the reader through the sequence. However, some referencing and cohesive links are slightly mechanical or repetitive, preventing the response from reaching a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a geographical process, using terms such as 'coastal area', 'windward side', 'Leeward side', and 'inland'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and spelling errors, such as 'forming process' instead of 'formation process', 'temparature', 'ocen', and 'the air being cold'. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a Band 6 level where less common lexical items are attempted with noticeable inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'After reaching to the coast, the wind pushed upwards by the mountain...' (which contains a passive voice error omitting the auxiliary verb: 'the wind was pushed'). Other grammatical errors occur, including missing prepositions ('reaching the coast' rather than 'reaching to the coast') and subject-verb agreement issues ('start forming' instead of 'starts forming'). While complex sentences are attempted, errors are frequent enough to constrain the score to a Band 6.

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

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