Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 that how a type of desert, called a rain-shadow desert is produced.

Overall, the process contains seven different steps covering over thousand of kilometers. The process of forming rain shadow desert is started from the winds breezing from the sea and dragging with the mountains in upward direction. The dry air is formed on the other side of mountains and these winds reach the inland aread forming rain shadow desert.

In the first stage the winds are approached from the sea coast and pushed upwards in the direction of mountain in the second step. Then these winds are converted into cool moist air and eventually converting into clouds from in the fourth stage.

Additionally, in the fifth step the formed clouds start falling raing over the top of the mountains which results in the formation of dry air on the other side of the mountains. This dry wind flows the leeward side of the mountain and reaches the inland areas in the final step where the actual rain shadow desert is produced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence and give an overview that identifies the movement from sea winds to an inland desert. The account also includes the key contrast between the wet windward side, where rain falls, and the dry leeward side. This is relevant and generally accurate. However, some stages are less fully explained: the diagram specifically shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form, while your description says the winds are “converted into cool moist air,” which reverses or obscures that relationship. The role of the mountain in forcing the air upward could also be stated more precisely. To strengthen the response, report each causal link clearly and distinguish the formation of rain from the subsequent drying of the air.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by a chronological account of the stages. Sequencing phrases such as “In the first stage,” “in the fifth step,” and “in the final step” help the reader follow the process. The progression is mostly logical, although the overview repeats information that is then given again in the body, and “Additionally” does not signal a particularly clear relationship between the stages. Some references, such as “these winds,” are not fully precise because the air changes from moist to dry during the process. Use fewer repeated summaries and connect each stage with explicit cause-and-effect links to make cohesion more natural and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward,” “leeward,” “inland,” “moist air,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “dragging with the mountains,” “winds are approached,” and “clouds start falling raing.” There are also spelling or word-form problems such as “aread” and “raing.” These errors sometimes make the description less clear, despite the reader being able to understand the general process. Aim for precise process verbs and natural collocations, and check spelling carefully. For example, describe winds as approaching the coast and being forced upwards, and say that clouds produce rainfall.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including a complex overview and sentences linked with “which results in.” The sequence is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “illustrates that how” uses an unnecessary conjunction, and “the process … is started” is an awkward passive construction. In “winds are approached from the sea coast,” the passive form does not express the intended action clearly; “winds approach the coast” is more suitable. The sentence about air being “converted into cool moist air” also has an unclear structure, while “clouds start falling” assigns the action to the wrong subject. Work on accurate active and passive forms, articles, and clause construction, while retaining the chronological structure.

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