Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 formation of rain-shadow desert in seven steps with the help of three mediums of nature, sea, mountain and inland having a distance of thousands of kilometers between them.

Overall, it can been that the process have several steps, starting with sea winds approaching coast and ending with dry winds reach inland areas to form rain-shadow deset.

Beginning with the 1st step, sea winds head towards coast which pushed it towards in upward direction is a 2nd step meanwhile in the 3rd step, moist air rises and cools before transforming into clouds in the 4th step, reaching the peak of mountain through windward side. Moreover, in 5th step rainfall starts on the top of the mountain.

Moving to 6th step, after rainfall, dry air continues go downward over the mountain via leeward side and in the last 7th step dry winds contacts with inland areas to make rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers the main sequence and gives a clear overall account: winds approach the coast, moisture rises and cools, rain falls on the mountain, and dry air reaches inland to create the desert. This is relevant and the stages are mostly in the correct order. However, some features are less fully or precisely described. The opening refers to “three mediums of nature,” which does not clearly explain the relationship between the sea, mountain and inland area, and the account does not explicitly contrast the wet windward side with the dry leeward side. The final stage is also described as dry winds reaching inland “to make” the desert, without explaining that the rain shadow results from moisture having been lost on the windward side. A more precise overview and clearer cause-and-effect explanation would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement, with an introduction, an overview and a chronological description of the seven stages. Sequencing phrases such as “Beginning with,” “in the 3rd step,” and “Moving to 6th step” help the reader follow the process, and the progression from coast to inland is clear. This already shows some flexibility in organising information. However, the repeated numbered-step framing makes the account somewhat mechanical, and several links between stages are compressed into long sentences, particularly the sentence beginning “Beginning with the 1st step.” The reference in “which pushed it” is also unclear. Grouping related stages and using clearer links to show cause and result would make the progression smoother and more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing this process, and the response uses relevant terms such as “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “rainfall,” and “dry winds.” These choices show awareness of the diagram’s subject-specific language. There are, however, some inaccurate or awkward word choices and collocations, including “three mediums of nature,” “in upward direction,” “dry winds contacts,” and “make rain-shadow desert.” The spelling “deset” is also an error, while “kilometers” is understandable but differs from the spelling used in the task. These issues do not prevent the main meaning from being understood, but more precise process vocabulary and natural collocations would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “before” and “after,” and the sequence remains generally understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven, with errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. For example, “it can been that” should be “it can be seen that,” and “the process have” should be “the process has.” In “which pushed it towards in upward direction,” the clause and preposition pattern are faulty; “which pushes the air upwards” would be clearer. The final sentence also needs agreement and a more accurate structure: “dry winds contacts with inland areas.” Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes and check each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

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

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