Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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 figure illustrates how one kind of desert, called a rain-shadow desert, is created.

Overall, the graph shows a total of seven steps starting initially with winds approaching the sea moving towards the coast and ending with the dry winds racing in the direction of inlands.

First off, winds move towards the coast from the sea and then move gradually upward's the mountains. As the moist air rises it cools down in a gradual manner. Eventually, clouds form on the windward side of the mountains. As the clouds shift to a higher location rain clouds form which pour down onto the windward side of the mountain area.

Secondly, dry air continues to blow downwards over the mountain in the direction of the leeward side of the majestic heap. Having said that , the dry winds continue in the same direction creating rain-shadow deserts blowing with a lot of dry winds in these inlands.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview and summarising the main stages of rain-shadow desert formation. The overview correctly outlines the seven steps from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. However, certain parts of the process are under-developed or lack precision. For instance, the description of meteorological mechanisms such as cooling and cloud formation is rather brief, and expressions like 'majestic heap' introduce irrelevant subjective commentary rather than objective scientific reporting. To reach a higher level, the response should extend and support its descriptions of each stage with greater clarity and maintain an entirely academic tone throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and distinct body paragraphs representing different phases of the diagram. Information and ideas are generally sequenced logically, moving from the coast across the mountains to the inland desert. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkward, such as 'First off' and 'Secondly', which do not fit formal academic writing standards well. Additionally, referencing is occasionally repetitive or vague. To achieve a higher standard, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure smooth, natural transitions between ideas without relying on informal connectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the basic sequence of events with terms like 'moist air', 'windward side', and 'leeward side'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but this leads to word-choice and stylistic inaccuracies, most notably the phrase 'majestic heap' to describe a mountain, which is inappropriate for an academic report. There are also slight lexical awkwardnesses such as 'racing in the direction of inlands'. Communication is not impeded, but achieving a higher band requires a more precise, sophisticated, and consistently formal academic lexicon free from inappropriate collocations or register slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'starting initially with winds approaching' and 'As the moist air rises it cools down'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including a missing hyphen in 'upward's' (which is also a word form error), an unnecessary comma splice before 'having said that', and occasional missing or misplaced articles. Nevertheless, these grammatical slips are infrequent and rarely impede communication. To move higher, the writer needs to produce a greater frequency of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over punctuation and prepositional usage.

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

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