Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates the process involve in the formation of rain-shadow deserts.

Overall, the process consists of seven main stages, beginning with winds approaching the coast and culminating with dry air reaching the inland region, where a rain-shadow desert develops.

To begin with, winds from the sea appraoch the coast and are pushed upward by air. When they riched the mountain along with winds, moist air rises and cools and finally, clouds are formed. This leads to rain falls on the upper part of the mountain, consequently most of moisture removed from the clouds.

After crossing the mountain peak, air moved down to the leeward side. In this stage, the air is much dried because moisture removed gradually. In the next stage, the dry air continuouly move went down and became warmer and it moved toward inland area. Finally, these dry winds reach the region thousands of kilometres from the coast.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You give a clear overview of the seven-stage process, identifying the movement from coastal winds to the inland rain-shadow desert. The account also covers the key sequence of rising moist air, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air crossing the mountains. This meets the task well, and the overview and main stages are relevant. However, some details are less fully or precisely explained: “pushed upward by air” does not clearly state that the mountains force the winds upwards, and the description of moisture being removed “from the clouds” is unclear. The final outcome could also be tied more explicitly to the desert shown inland. Clarifying these points and describing the windward-to-leeward contrast more precisely would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs that follow the process in sequence. Linking expressions such as “To begin with,” “After crossing the mountain peak,” and “Finally” help the reader track the stages, and the progression from coast to inland is generally clear. This is a strong overall structure. Some connections are less smooth, however: “When they riched the mountain along with winds” makes the relationship between the wind and mountain difficult to follow, while “In this stage” and “In the next stage” are somewhat mechanical. The final sentence repeats the idea of dry winds moving inland rather than clearly concluding with the desert’s formation. Use more precise references and vary transitions to improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “leeward side,” “mountain peak,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some variety in how you describe movement and change, such as “rises,” “crossing,” and “reach.” However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “appraoch,” “riched,” and “continuouly” are misspelled, while “the air is much dried” is an inaccurate expression. Phrases such as “pushed upward by air” and “moisture removed from the clouds” are also imprecise for this process. Check spelling carefully and choose collocations that describe the stages directly, such as winds being forced upwards by the mountains and losing moisture through rainfall.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “where a rain-shadow desert develops” and a sequence joined with “When” and “because.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “the process involve” needs subject–verb agreement, and “rain falls” after “This leads to” requires a gerund or noun form. Tense control also shifts: “air moved down” and “dry air … move” do not consistently use the present simple expected for describing a process. In “most of moisture removed,” the clause lacks an auxiliary verb and an article. Review agreement, verb forms, and complete clause construction; these corrections would make your varied sentence patterns more accurate.

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