Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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 given diagram illustrates the formation of a type of desert called as rain-shadow desert in seven detailed steps.

Overall, it was observed that rain-shadow deserts are formed thousands of kilometers away from the costal line with mountains as a barrier, which converts the moist airflow to dry winds that leads to the land after the mountains turning into the desert.

firstly, the sea breeze upon approaching the coastal line is pushed upwards by the mountain region several feet above the surface, where the moist air turns cool and forms clouds which later give rise to rainfalls concluding the process of windward side of the mountains, which is the side at which sea meets the mountains.

Coming to the leeward side of the mountains, the dry air after the rains travels over the mountain to below the surface where they reach the inland surface area. the moistureless breeze cannot form clouds making the land dry and turning it into rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers all key stages of the process diagram, from the winds approaching the coast to the creation of the rain-shadow desert thousands of kilometers inland. The overview effectively summarises the main mechanism—how mountains act as a barrier to convert moist airflow into dry winds. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting specific details, such as stating the winds are pushed several feet above the surface, whereas the diagram indicates a large-scale geographical elevation over mountains. Despite this minor misinterpretation, the overall task is addressed well and the main features are successfully reported, demonstrating a clear understanding of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs dividing the process into the windward and leewards sides of the mountains. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'firstly', and 'Coming to' are used to guide the reader through the sequence of events. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the distinct phases of the diagram. However, referencing can occasionally be slightly imprecise, as seen in pronoun usage, and some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Overall, progression is clear throughout the text, satisfying the criteria for a Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for describing a scientific process, incorporating terms such as 'moistureless breeze', 'barrier', 'coastal line', and 'windward side'. There are some spelling and lexical errors, such as 'costal line' instead of 'coastal line' and awkward collocations like 'concluding the process of windward side'. Less common lexical items are attempted with mixed success. While communication remains clear, these occasional inaccuracies and a lack of more sophisticated phrasing prevent the lexical score from reaching the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('a type of desert called as rain-shadow desert') and participial phrases ('where the moist air turns cool'). There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including lowercase beginnings for sentences ('firstly,' and 'the moistureless breeze...'), a missing comma splice, and preposition confusions ('leads to the land... turning into the desert'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the essay from achieving a Band 7 in grammatical accuracy.

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