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)

Given diagram illustrates the process of formation of the rain-shadow desert, this process get carried out from ocean to Inland which approximately cover thousands of kilometers.

Overall, the creation of rain shadow desert mainly involves seven step, which carried to form the desert. At beginning it all starts with a wind approach from sea to the costal area. Moving further the wind get pushed in upward direction to the tip of the mountain, in between the wind get in contact with the moist air and gets cooled down, eventually this causes the formation of clouds.

Moving further, up till, the process was carried out on the windward side of mountains where next process happens on the Leeward side of mountains. However the clouds starts to rain in next stage the dry air continues to move over mountains from leeward side, until they reach in inland area, which eventually form the Rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the seven key stages of rain-shadow desert formation from the ocean to the inland area, meeting the requirements of a solid performance at this level. An overview is provided, highlighting the main steps involved in the process, and relevant features such as the windward and leeward sides of the mountains are mentioned. However, some aspects are slightly under-developed or lack precision. For instance, the transition from moist air rising and cooling to cloud formation and rainfall could be elaborated with clearer sequencing. To reach a higher band, the description would need to present a more fully developed account of the entire geological and meteorological mechanism without minor gaps in the progression of the steps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents an overall coherent arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information logically into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the stages, such as 'At beginning', 'Moving further', and 'However'. Nevertheless, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is occasionally faulty, as seen in repetitive transitional phrases like 'Moving further' used multiple times. Paragraphing is present, but the logical progression between sentences could be smoothed out for better flow. To improve, a greater variety of referencing expressions and more sophisticated cohesive links should be utilised to connect the stages of the diagram naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'coastal area', 'moist air', 'windward side', and 'leeward side'. Less common items are attempted, showing an awareness of the scientific context. However, there are some noticeable word choice and word form errors that occasionally distract, such as 'wind approach' instead of 'winds approaching', 'costal' instead of 'coastal', and 'in inland area' instead of 'in the inland area'. These inaccuracies do not seriously impede communication, but they prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of lexical precision and control. Expanding the use of precise phrasing will elevate this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of structures, relying on a mix of simple sentences and some clumsy attempts at complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors in sentence structures, subject-verb agreement, and articles, such as 'this process get carried out', 'the wind get pushed', and 'the clouds starts'. Punctuation and prepositional patterns also show recurring inaccuracies, for example, 'at beginning' and 'in between the wind get in contact'. These errors require some effort from the reader to parse the meaning. To achieve higher bands, the writer must demonstrate better control over verb tenses, passive voice constructions, and complex sentence patterns while significantly reducing the frequency of basic grammatical slips.

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

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