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 the atmospheric steps contribute in making of rain shadow desert.

Overall, the process starts when the winds above the sea reach to the coast, and force upwards by windward side of mountain. Later, the air becomes dry, so it starts moving by leeward side of the mountain. After moving thousands of kilometer, the dry air reaches inland area where rain shadow desert are formed.

Intially, winds from the sea reach to the coast force up in the atmosphere. As the air goes at high altitude along with the windward side of the mountain, it become cool and moist. This air results in the formation of dense clouds, which causes heavy rainfall, and makes high preciption of rain.

Subsequently. after heavy cloudburst, the air becomes dry and began to move downward by leeward side of the mountain. This dry air moves thousands of kilometers and reaches to inland, thus results in the formation of rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the main sequence: moist winds arrive from the sea, rise over the windward side, produce rain, and leave dry air to travel inland and form a desert. It also includes the diagram’s broad distance scale. These points address the central process accurately, and the stages are supported with relevant detail, such as cloud formation and rainfall. However, some descriptions go beyond or differ from the visual: the diagram does not specify “dense” clouds or “heavy” rainfall, and it does not show the air moving downward after crossing the mountain. For greater precision, report only the stages shown and distinguish clearly between the windward and leeward sides.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence, with an overview followed by details of the windward and leeward stages. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “As,” and “Subsequently” help the reader follow the process. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear: “Subsequently. after heavy cloudburst” has faulty punctuation, while “this air” and “the air” do not always make the referent precise. The overview and body also repeat the movement of dry air inland. Use clearer stage-to-stage links and avoid repeating information; for example, connect the rainfall directly to the air continuing across the mountain.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “atmospheric,” “formation,” “altitude,” “precipitation,” and “inland,” which helps describe the diagram. Some less common choices are attempted, but several are inaccurate or unnatural: “force upwards,” “high preciption of rain,” and “cloudburst” do not describe the labelled stages precisely. Spelling errors such as “Intially,” “kilometer,” and “preciption” also reduce accuracy. Choose standard process collocations and use the diagram’s terminology consistently. For instance, “winds are forced upwards” and “rain falls on the windward side” are clearer and more precise than the current phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning “As the air goes…” and “which causes…”. Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors occur across the response. Examples include “the process starts when the winds … reach to the coast, and force upwards,” where the verb construction is incomplete, and “it become cool,” which has subject–verb disagreement. There are also problems with articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries, as in “rain shadow desert are formed” and “Subsequently. after…”. Practise accurate verb forms and agreement, and check punctuation between sentences. A clearer pattern would be: “As the moist air rises, it cools and clouds form.”

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