Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The diagram decribes the process of rain-shadow desert formation on an inland area due to winds thousands of kilometers away. The winds from sea reach coastal area where they are pushed up towards the windward side of mountain.In the next step , moist air rises and cools down which leads to formation of clouds on the same side. These clouds become to dense and heavy with moisture and precipitate as rain fall on mountain top.

The dry air from windward side moves over to the leeward side of mountain and follows a downward movement. This dry air then reaches the inland areas where it causes formation of rain-shadow desert. The distance between sea from where winds approach the mountain and inland area where desert formation occurs have distance of thousands of kilometers in between. An example of rain-shadow desert is, the Thar desert in Rajasthan state of India where winds fom The Arabian sea approach the Aravalli mountain range from southwest and form Thar desert in western region of Rajasthan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence accurately: winds arrive from the sea, rise over the windward side, cool and form clouds, produce rain, then continue as dry air towards the inland desert. The overview that dry air reaching inland causes the rain-shadow desert is clear, and the thousands-of-kilometres scale is also reported. This meets the task well, with some features described more fully than others. However, the added Thar Desert example is not shown in the diagram and takes space from explaining the process itself; the claim that the winds are “thousands of kilometers away” is also imprecise, since the diagram indicates the distance across the landscape. To strengthen the response further, focus on the diagram’s stages and clarify that rain falls on the windward side before the air crosses the mountain.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows the process in a clear, logical order, moving from the sea and coast to the mountain and then inland. The two paragraphs also separate the rising, cooling air from the later movement of dry air, which helps the reader follow the stages. Linking phrases such as “In the next step,” “This dry air then,” and “where” generally make the relationships clear. Some connections are less smooth: “The distance between sea…” repeats information already given, and the final real-world example interrupts the explanation rather than extending the diagram’s sequence. Use paragraphing to distinguish an overview from the stages, and rely on concise sequencing language so each sentence advances the process.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “precipitate,” and “formation.” These terms help communicate the diagram’s key stages, and the meaning remains clear despite some imprecise choices. A few collocations are awkward, such as “become to dense and heavy,” “rain fall,” and “follows a downward movement”; “winds fom” and “decribes” also show spelling slips. The phrase “winds thousands of kilometers away” does not express the diagram’s horizontal distance accurately. Aim for more natural process language, for example, “the air becomes saturated,” “rain falls,” and “the dry air descends.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “where it causes formation” and a sequence of clauses explaining how air rises, cools, and forms clouds. Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include missing articles in “reach coastal area” and “over to the leeward side of mountain,” and the malformed construction “These clouds become to dense.” The sentence beginning “The distance between sea…” also has an unclear structure, while punctuation spacing is inconsistent around full stops and commas. Check articles and singular/plural forms, and simplify sentences when several stages are being linked so that the relationships remain accurate.

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