Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 7.0)

The following diagram illustrates the formation of a rain-shadow desert.

It has seven sequential stages involved in the natural formation of a rain-shadow desert. Overall, the process demonstrates how coastal wind moves across mountains, shedding moisture on one side while creating different conditions on the other over thousands of kilometres.

The process begins at sea, where winds approach the coast.

(1) They are forced upwards upon encountering a mountain range.

(2) As this moist air ascends the windward side of the mountains, it rises and cools. (3) Consequently, clouds begin to form.

(4) This leads to heavy rain falling on the coastal slope.

(5) Once the air passes the peak, it loses most of its moisture. The remaining dry air continues over the mountain onto the leeward side.

(6)Finally, these dry winds descend into inland areas.

(7) This prevents precipitation and ultimately gives rise to a rain-shadow desert across a vast area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the seven main sequential stages of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram. You provide a clear and accurate overview that captures the core mechanism of how coastal winds traverse mountains and create contrasting environments. The key features, such as the moist air rising, cloud formation, precipitation on the windward side, and dry winds descending onto the leeward side to create the desert, are all reported accurately. However, some aspects are slightly restricted in extension; for instance, the conclusion regarding the spatial scale indicated by 'thousands of kilometres' could have been integrated more fully into the overall description to reach the highest level of development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

Your response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the sea and coast through the mountain stages to the inland desert. You use paragraphing appropriately to separate the introduction and overview from the detailed body steps. Cohesive devices and referencing are generally clear, allowing the reader to follow the sequential process easily. For example, expressions like 'As this moist air ascends' and 'Once the air passes the peak' effectively link the stages together. To achieve a higher band, the transitions between individual steps could rely slightly less on numbered lists or mechanical markers, making the flow of ideas even more seamless and natural throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

You demonstrate a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suitable for an academic process description. Less common lexical items are used with good awareness of style and collocation, such as 'sequential stages', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'precipitation'. Word choices are precise, and you manage to describe a natural scientific phenomenon accurately without unnatural repetition. There are no notable spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. To push further into higher band territory, you could incorporate more sophisticated, less common phrasing or idiomatic academic collocations regarding meteorological processes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

Your response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, featuring frequent error-free sentences that display good control of grammar and punctuation. You successfully employ complex structures such as participial phrases and subordinate clauses, as seen in 'Upon encountering a mountain range' and 'As this moist air ascends the windward side of the mountains, it rises and cools.' Minor grammatical slips are absent, and tense control remains consistent throughout the narrative of the diagram. To maintain higher-level precision, you could vary your sentence openings further and incorporate even more diverse subordinate structures.

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

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