Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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 creation of the desert named as rain-shadow desert. Given picture provide us with the information of the formation of desert step by step describing the main features.

A large mountain is spreading across thousands of kilometers on the groung. Along one side of the mountain the sea is present while, other end covers ground that turns into desert.

Let's have a view how the rain-shadow desert forms. Along the windward side of the mountain that is facing the sea, winds blow there. Winds approaching the coast are pushed upward by the slope of the mountain. Going up the moist air rises and cools where clouds are formed. These clouds move upward and become a cause of rainfall at the windward side.

Moving to the leeward side of the mountain the air becomes dry and move downwards. These dry winds reaches the inland areas at the ground level, where it become the cause of the formation of the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of rain-shadow desert formation from the initial approach of winds over the sea to the final dry inland desert. The overview is somewhat informal in tone ('Let's have a view how'), but it does capture the core mechanics of the process. While the key steps such as moist air rising, cloud formation, precipitation on the windward side, and dry winds descending on the leeward side are identified, some ideas remain slightly under-developed or lack full elaboration. For instance, the transition from the leeward slope to the inland rain-shadow desert could have been integrated more seamlessly with the visual scale provided ('Thousands of kilometres'). Overall, the task is adequately covered, aligning with a competent level of performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical, sequential progression that mirrors the steps shown in the diagram. Ideas are structured into reasonable paragraphs, moving from an introductory overview to geographic layout, and finally through the step-by-step process. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or somewhat repetitive, particularly in the use of transitions like 'Along one side', 'Moving to', and 'These clouds move upward'. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional awkward phrasing affects the flow between sentences. Paragraphing is used, but could be managed more effectively to separate the geographical setup from the dynamic atmospheric process. These features place the organizational aspect of the writing solidly in the middle range.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the main features of the process diagram with terms such as 'windward side', 'leeward side', 'moist air', and 'precipitation'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items related to weather and geography, but there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'Given picture provide us' (instead of 'The provided diagram illustrates') and 'spreading across thousands of kilometers on the groung' (misspelling of ground and awkward expression). Additionally, some expressions are overly conversational or repetitive, such as 'Let's have a view how'. While these lexical shortcomings do not seriously impede communication, they restrict the vocabulary score to an intermediate level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'winds approaching the coast are pushed upward' and 'the mountain that is facing the sea'. However, there are several errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Given picture provide us'), missing articles ('desert named as rain-shadow desert'), and prepositions or pronouns that disrupt structural accuracy ('where it become the cause', where 'it' lacks a clear plural/singular antecedent match with 'winds'). Despite these errors, the grammatical structures are varied enough to ensure the meaning remains largely intelligible, with mistakes only occasionally drawing the reader's attention rather than completely blocking comprehension.

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

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