Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 how a desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, came into being.

Overall, the formation consists of 7 different stages, and thousands of kilometres, involving the sea, mountains, and inland regions. The wind from the sea went upwards when they mountains, and cools down to create the clouds. After raining on the top, the dry crossed the mountain to reach inland areas, where it forms raind-shadow desert.

At the begining, sea winds approached the coastal mountains which pushed them upwards, where most of the air rises and cools down at windward side. Clouds formation took place there which went up further and the rain fells at the top of the mountains.

On the leeward side, commencing from 6th stage, the dry air continues coming over the mountains after emptying water on top, and covers a steep downward path along the mountains to reach finally at the inland areas. This inland areas then formed the rain shadown desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence and provide an overview, identifying the seven stages and the movement from the sea, over the mountains, to inland areas. The account correctly describes rising, cooling air, cloud formation, rainfall on the windward side, and dry air continuing towards the rain-shadow desert. This addresses the task well, although some stages are less clearly explained than others: for example, the overview compresses the process, and the role of the windward and leeward sides could be stated more precisely. The claim that clouds “went up further” is not clearly supported by the diagram, which shows clouds forming above the windward slope. A more exact summary of the contrast between rainfall on the windward side and dry conditions inland would make the key features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the stages before and after the mountain. The sequence is generally easy to follow, with markers such as “At the beginning” and “On the leeward side” helping to guide the reader. However, cohesion is sometimes weakened by unclear references and awkward links. In “where it forms raind-shadow desert,” “it” does not clearly identify the subject, while “This inland areas then formed” is also difficult to connect to the preceding sentence. The overview repeats some details that are explained again later, and the transition from the clouds to rainfall could be more direct. Use clear stage-to-stage links and avoid repeating the same information to make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “coastal,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “dry air,” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the diagram’s main features. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “emptying water” and “a steep downward path,” but these are not natural or precise in this context. Several spelling errors—“begining,” “raind-shadow,” and “shadown”—and forms such as “clouds formation” reduce accuracy and make the description less polished. Some wording is also imprecise: “the wind from the sea” could be described as moist air carried inland, and “came into being” is less suitable than a neutral process verb. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling of key terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “when,” “where,” and “after,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, some sentence structures and grammatical forms are faulty. In “the wind from the sea went upwards when they mountains,” the clause is incomplete and the subject reference is unclear. “The dry crossed the mountain” lacks a suitable noun after “dry,” while “This inland areas then formed” has a number-agreement problem and an unclear grammatical relationship. Tense use also shifts between past forms (“approached,” “pushed”) and present forms (“cools,” “continues”) without a consistent reason. Use present simple consistently for a general process, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete clause structure.

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