Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 picture illustrates the formation of rain-shadow deserts involving 7 different stages starting from coastal to inland areas.

Overall, the process begins at the sea side forming clouds and rain fall with the help of wind on the windward side. Again, the steps further continue on the leeward side where dry wind reaches the inland areas.

The wind approaches in the coastal sea regions which pushes the winds in upward direction towards the mountains. The moist air then rises above the high mountains and cools down forming the clouds in the windward side of the mountains. After the formation of clouds, rain fall occurs at the peak of mountains.

Consequently, the dry air now continues over the mountain in the leeward side at the other end of the mountains. After this, the dry wind air reaches to the bottom of the inland areas forming the rain-shadow desert. The sea and the inland are separated by the thousands of kilometers with the high rising mountains in between.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response identifies the diagram as a seven-stage process and gives a clear overview of the movement from the sea, across the mountains, to the inland desert. It reports the main causal sequence accurately: moist air rises and cools, clouds form, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air continues over the mountains to the leeward side. The final reference to the mountains separating the sea and inland areas also reflects the diagram’s broad layout. To make the account more fully developed, clarify that the winds are forced upwards by the mountains and that the rain-shadow desert lies far inland, beyond the leeward side. The description is relevant and clear, though a few spatial details are generalised.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the stages, with a generally logical progression from coast to inland. Sequencing expressions such as “then,” “After the formation of clouds” and “Consequently” help the reader follow the process. The overview also usefully groups the wet windward stages and the dry leeward stages. Some linking is slightly repetitive or imprecise: “After this” repeats the sequencing function of the previous sentence, while “Again” in the overview does not clearly signal the next phase. Paragraphing is appropriate, but clearer references to the windward and leeward sides would make the transitions between stages more precise and the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the process, and terms such as “windward,” “leeward,” “moist air,” “coastal” and “rain-shadow desert” show relevant topic knowledge. The writer also uses process language such as “formation,” “continues” and “separated.” However, some word choices and collocations are awkward or repetitive, including “rain fall,” “dry wind air,” “reaches to the bottom” and “high rising mountains.” “Rainfall” or “precipitation,” “dry air,” and “reaches the inland areas” would be more natural and precise. The repeated use of “wind” and “mountains” also limits flexibility. Greater control of collocation and more exact verbs would strengthen the description while preserving its clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex forms, including the participial phrase “forming the clouds” and the sequence “After the formation of clouds, rain fall occurs.” Most relationships between stages remain understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In “which pushes the winds,” the singular verb does not agree clearly with the plural subject, and “the dry wind air reaches to the bottom” has an awkward prepositional pattern. The overview fragment-like construction “Overall, the process begins … forming clouds and rain fall” also makes the relationship between actions less controlled. There are occasional punctuation and spacing issues, such as extra spaces after commas. Aim for more consistently accurate agreement and complete, clearly structured clauses.

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

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