Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 how a type of desert that is called rain shadow desert is formed.

Overall, rain shadow formation consists of seven stages starting with wind approaching the coast, then the wind is pushed upwards, later moisture in the air rises and cools, and clouds formed the clouds rain on the coast side of the mountain, then the dry air continues over the mountain, then in the last stage the leftover dry flows on the other side of the, and reaches the inland area creating the in land rain shadow.

To begin with, the winds raise above sea and approach the mountain as its hits the base of the mountain it is pushed to higher altitude of the mountain, where moist air rises higher towards the windward side of the mountain, and gradually clouds are formed.

The formed clouds rain water towards the windward side, which leaves the dry air to continue over the top of the mountain, and the dry air move towards the leeward side of the mountain, and finally reaching the inland areas forming the rainshadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all key stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, satisfying the requirements for a clear overview and accurate sequencing. The overview effectively summarises the seven stages, noting the progression from moist air cooling and precipitation on the windward side to dry air descending on the leeward side to form the desert. However, some aspects of the explanation are slightly repetitive or under-developed, such as the description in the second paragraph where individual steps are strung together in a lengthy run-on sentence without deeper analytical grouping. This partial over-reliance on a simple chronological listing without fully integrating the spatial relationships prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical sequence mirroring the process diagram. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction and overview from the detailed body stages. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and faulty. For instance, the second paragraph relies heavily on repetitive consecutive connectors like 'then' and comma splices rather than sophisticated cohesive devices. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'the other side of the' which trails off incomplete. While the information moves reasonably well from start to finish, the management of cohesive devices lacks flexibility, placing it firmly within the mid-range band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating key subject-specific terminology from the diagram such as 'windward side', 'leeward side', 'moist air', and 'inland areas'. The student attempts less common items like 'altitude' and 'precipitation equivalents', but there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'rain shadow desert' missing hyphens, 'winds raise' instead of 'rise', and the incomplete fragment 'other side of the, and reaches'. Spelling and word choice errors do not heavily impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score due to occasional awkward collocations and minor slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures frequently contain errors. There are frequent issues with run-on sentences, punctuation errors such as missing commas or comma splices, and faulty prepositional or clause patterns, as seen in 'as its hits the base' and 'clouds formed the clouds rain on the coast side'. Article usage and subject-verb agreement also show inconsistency, such as 'dry winds reach inland areas creating the in land rain shadow'. Although communication is generally maintained, the frequency of structural and grammatical inaccuracies keeps the score at this level.

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