Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 natural on going process of formation of rain shadow desert.

Overall, the process comprise of seven stage , beginning with the winds approaching the coastal mountains ending with formation of dry winds. The process includes winds , mountains , sea and inland .

Initially, the winds are transported to the mountain range through the sea shore where it moved in the upward direction in windward side of the mountain to form clouds as a result moist air rises in the clouds .Following this ,Rain falls through the clouds due to the presence of moist air.

Subsequently, the since the moist air get eliminated due to the rain fall ,dry air continues to proceed further through the leeward range of the the coast to reach the inland areas.

As a conclusion ,thousands of kilometers is travelled by the dry air through the coast to reach the inland area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the diagram as a seven-stage process and give a relevant overall summary, from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland areas. The main sequence is mostly represented, including upward movement on the windward side, cloud formation, rainfall, and the continuation of dry air over the mountains. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the winds do not travel “through the sea shore,” and the explanation that moist air rises “in the clouds” reverses the sequence, since rising and cooling air leads to cloud formation. The final reference to thousands of kilometres is also imprecise: this marks the horizontal scale, rather than a distance travelled by the air. Clarifying these stages and the scale would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the early stages, later stages, and a concluding statement. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially” and “Subsequently” help the reader follow the process, and the stages are presented in broadly logical order. This already gives the account a coherent progression. However, some links are mechanical or confusing, particularly “Subsequently, the since,” while the final “As a conclusion” repeats information rather than adding a useful stage. The long first process sentence also combines several events, making their order less clear. Use simpler links and give each key stage a clear place in the sequence to make cohesion more flexible and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward,” “moist air,” “dry air,” and “rainfall,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “illustrates” and “formation.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “natural on going process” is not an appropriate description, “winds are transported” suggests the winds are carried by something, and “moist air get eliminated” does not clearly express that moisture is lost through rainfall. “Leeward range of the coast” is also an imprecise label for the mountain’s leeward side. Choose standard process collocations and use the diagram’s labels consistently to improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “where it moved in the upward direction” and a cause-and-effect construction with “as a result.” However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. For example, “the process comprise of seven stage” has agreement and plural errors, while “the moist air get eliminated” also needs a correctly formed verb. The sentence beginning “Subsequently, the since” is structurally faulty, and punctuation and spacing are inconsistent. Practise building accurate sentences around one stage at a time, checking subject–verb agreement and past or present tense consistency before adding subordinate clauses.

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