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 process of a desert formed which is known as rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the process is linear and has total of 7 steps which starts with the movement of winds from the sea towards a coast and after climbing off the mountains dry winds reach the inland area.

Initially, winds from the sea approaches coastal area, secondly mountains push the winds upwards, then in next step moist in the air rises and cools which forms cloud on windward side of the mountain.

Subsequently, rain starts on the mountains which are thousands of kilometre long. After the rain, dry air continues on the leeward side of mountains down to the inland area as a result of which a rain-shadow desert is created.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and give a basic overview, from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland. You also mention the key stages of rising, cooling, cloud formation and rainfall, so the response is relevant. However, several details are incomplete or imprecise: the diagram shows the mountains forcing the winds upwards, and the dry air crossing the mountain before reaching the inland rain-shadow desert. The statement that the mountains are “thousands of kilometre long” misreads the scale arrow, which indicates the horizontal distance shown. The response is also 26 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail you can provide. Develop the stages and describe the windward/leeward contrast more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence, supported by time markers such as “Initially,” “then,” and “Subsequently.” The overview also helps the reader understand the process from sea to inland desert. However, the stages are compressed into two body paragraphs, and some links are mechanical or unclear: “secondly mountains push the winds upwards” does not express the cause as precisely as the diagram, while “After the rain” moves quickly to the final stage without clearly showing the air crossing the mountain. The final sentence combines several steps and the result in one long chain. Use separate sentences or paragraphs for the windward and leeward stages, and make each transition show the relationship between stages.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist,” “rises,” “cools,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “rain-shadow desert.” This gives you an adequate range for describing the diagram, and the meaning is generally clear. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise, however: “a desert formed which is known as” is awkward, “mountains push the winds” is less accurate than describing the winds as being forced upwards, and “rain starts on the mountains” is not a natural way to describe precipitation. There is also a form error in “thousands of kilometre.” Aim for concise, conventional process language, such as “precipitation falls on the windward slope” and “dry air descends on the leeward side.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex structures, including the overview clause “which starts with…” and the result construction “as a result of which…”. The sequence remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “winds … approaches” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “has total of 7 steps” is missing an article. The opening phrase “the process of a desert formed” is also structurally awkward, while “moist in the air rises” does not form a correct noun phrase. The final sentence is long and would be clearer if divided. Check agreement, articles and sentence construction, and use a wider range of accurate sentence patterns to explain cause and sequence.

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