Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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 given process diagram illustrates the stages involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert. The process begins with winds approaching the coast and end with the dry winds reaching inland areas.

Overall, the process follows a linear multistage sequence, beginning with winds approaching coast from the sea area to end with the dry winds reaching inland areas in the desert. During these stages rain-shadow desert is formed. These formation processes take place over a vast area.

In the initial stages, winds are forced toward an upward direction from the sea level to the mountain peak. After that, on high altitude cool moisturized air is produce which helps to form the clouds. In the remaining steps, cloud continued to follow upward trend, and rain falls occurred on mountains after which, dry air continued to flow down to the leeward side and reaches on the inland areas. After the process has been completed rain-shadow desert formation is made on inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully identifies and reports the main stages involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert, covering the progression from the sea and coast across the mountain to the inland desert. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, outlining the linear multistage nature of the process and the scale involved. Key features such as the winds approaching the coast, rising and cooling moisture, cloud formation, precipitation on the windward side, and dry air descending on the leeward side are all correctly reported. The response is accurate in following the diagram's sequence and meets all requirements of Task 1 without any significant omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression from introduction to overview and body paragraph details. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and main body details. Cohesive devices are employed to link the stages together, such as 'In the initial stages', 'After that', and 'In the remaining steps'. However, referencing and transitions are occasionally slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'The process begins with winds approaching the coast and end with...', which slightly limits fluidity, placing it comfortably in the Band 6.5 to 7 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms directly related to the diagram such as 'moisturized air', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. However, there are noticeable lexical and morphological inaccuracies, such as 'end with' instead of 'ends with', 'upward direction' instead of 'upwards', and 'moisturized' instead of 'moist'. While these inaccuracies do not impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordinate clauses and participle phrases (e.g., 'The process begins with winds approaching the coast...'). There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('winds approaching the coast and end with', 'cloud continued', 'rain falls occurred'), preposition misusages ('on high altitude', 'reaches on the inland areas'), and awkward phrasing ('formation is made on'). These errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band, though they rarely impede overall comprehension.

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

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