Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26

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 seven main stages involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert, starting from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas.

Overall, the formation of a rain-shadow desert involves a combination of moist and dry air, transforming the inland areas into rain-shadow deserts.

In the first stage, the winds approach the coast through the sea, where they are pushed up the mountains; the air moistens, and the moist air rises and cools down to form clouds. From the clouds, the rain falls at the peak of the mountains on the windward side, and the rain is carried back to the sea.

Moving towards the leeward side, which is deprived of rain, the dry air continues over the mountain on this side and reaches the inland areas, developing into a type of desert known as a rain-shadow desert. The dry area formed on the other side of the mountain is thousands of kilometres away from the sea.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all seven main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, beginning with winds approaching the coast and ending with dry winds reaching inland areas. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, which outlines the core mechanism of moist and dry air interacting with the mountain. However, there is a minor factual inaccuracy in the description where the student states 'the air moistens' instead of noting that moist air rises, and later mentions 'the rain is carried back to the sea', which is a misinterpretation of the diagram's flow. Despite these minor misreadings, the main features and comparisons are appropriately identified and reported, satisfying the core requirements of Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. It opens with an introductory sentence and an overall summary statement, followed by well-sequenced body paragraphs that trace the steps of the process from left to right across the diagram. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the stages, such as 'In the first stage', 'Moving towards the leeward side', and 'on this side'. Paragraphing is logical, separating the introduction/overview from the detailed breakdown of the process. While referencing is mostly clear, a few transitional links feel slightly repetitive, but overall arrangement is coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific and geographical terms such as 'rain-shadow desert', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some success, though there are minor inaccuracies in word choice or phrasing, such as 'air moistens' and 'transformed the inland areas'. Spelling is accurate throughout, and vocabulary choice is sufficient to communicate the main features clearly without impeding the reader's understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'starting from winds approaching the coast' and 'which is deprived of rain'. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, notably 'through the sea' instead of 'from the sea', and 'cools down to form clouds' which slightly disrupts natural flow. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the majority of simple sentences remain accurate while complex structures demonstrate an acceptable level of control.

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