Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates the step-by-step process by which a rain shadow desert forms on a leeward side of mountain range, as moist air from the sea is intercepted and depleted of moisture. Overall, the process involves seven sequential stages: moist maritime air is forced upward over mountains, leading to condensation, rainfall on windward slope, and subsequent drying of the air as it descends the opposite side - creating arid conditions island. Initially winds carrying moisture approach coast and are pushed upward along the mountain's windward side. As the air rises, it cools adiabatically, causing water vapours to condense into clouds. This result in high precipitation on the windward side, saturating the atmosphere. By contrast, the dry air continues over the mountain crest and descends the leeward slope, warming and absorbing moisture from the below land. Consequently. the island areas receive little to no rainfall, forming a rain-shadow forest located thousands of kilometres from the coast. Notably, the stark contrast between the wet windward side and arid leeward side shows how mountains create complete different climates on each side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview of the seven stages involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert. The response successfully traces the path from moisture-approaching winds to the arid conditions on the leeward side. Main features, such as condensation, precipitation on the windward slope, and the dry air descending on the leeward side, are accurately reported and contrasted. However, there are a couple of minor lexical slips or typos in the description, such as writing 'arid conditions island' instead of 'inland', and referring to a 'rain-shadow forest' instead of a desert near the end. Despite these minor slips, the main requirements of the task are well-addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear logical organization and progression throughout. It opens with an introductory sentence and a well-formulated overall summary paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction/overview from the detailed body description and concluding note. Cohesive devices and transitions are handled reasonably well, using phrases like 'Initially', 'As the air rises', 'By contrast', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader through the sequence of events. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional minor cohesion faults appear due to phrasing choices.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, incorporating subject-specific terms such as 'adiabatically', 'condense', 'precipitation', and 'leeward slope'. Less common items are attempted with varying success. However, there are noticeable vocabulary inaccuracies and typos, such as 'arid conditions island' (instead of inland), 'water vapours' (uncountable noun here), and 'rain-shadow forest' instead of 'desert'. These lexical errors prevent the score from reaching a higher band, but communication is not seriously impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'as moist air from the sea is intercepted', 'leading to condensation, rainfall... and subsequent drying'). There are several grammatical errors and punctuation glitches throughout the text, such as missing articles ('approach coast'), a subject-verb agreement or phrasing error ('This result in'), and a stray punctuation mark ('Consequently. the island areas'). Nonetheless, there are frequent error-free sentences, and the overall grammatical control is adequate.

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