Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the process in which a certain type of desert, called the rain-shodow desert, is formed.

Overall, the natural formation of the rain-shadow deserts is a 7 stage process that can be categorized by the 3 main areas it goes through : sea, mountain, and inland. The winds' journey and rain's formation cause the rain-shadow desert.

First the winds come form the sea and approach the coast where it collide into the windward side of the mountains. This collision then pushes the winds upwards. The moist air keeps rising while cooling down, forming clouds.

Moreover, these clouds start raining over thousands of kilometers of mountains, meanwhile dry air continues its journey over the mountains' leeward side. Finally, the dry winds reach the inland areas. As a result of rains and winds the rain-shadow desert is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a process and give a broad overview of its stages and locations, then describe the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland. However, some key details are incomplete or imprecise: the rain is described as falling “over thousands of kilometers of mountains,” whereas the diagram places it above the windward side and peak; the thousands-of-kilometres label indicates horizontal scale, not the extent of rainfall. The final claim that rain and winds form the desert is also vague; explain that moisture is lost on the windward side, leaving dry air to create arid conditions inland. The response is 12 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail provided.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the process in sequence. Linking expressions such as “First,” “Moreover,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the stages, and the movement from the coast towards inland areas is generally logical. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall arrangement and shows some stronger progression. To make the organisation more precise, avoid using “Moreover” for the next chronological stage, and use clearer links between rainfall, the air becoming dry, and the desert’s location. The overview’s list of three areas is useful, but the colon spacing and the phrase “goes through” make it less polished. Keep each stage connected explicitly to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “clouds,” and “inland areas,” so the reader can understand the general topic. There is also some attempt at more specific wording, such as “collision” and “formation.” However, the range is limited and several choices or spelling errors reduce precision: “rain-shodow” is misspelled, “come form the sea” contains a spelling error, and “clouds start raining” is an unnatural collocation. “The winds collide into” is also not idiomatic. Aim for accurate process verbs and collocations, such as “rise,” “cool,” “condense,” and “precipitation falls,” while checking spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a participle clause in “forming clouds” and a time clause beginning “where.” The sequence is mostly understandable, but errors in sentence construction and agreement are noticeable. For example, “where it collide” has an unclear singular pronoun and incorrect verb agreement; “This collision then pushes the winds upwards” also makes the collision, rather than the terrain, the agent. In “the 3 main areas it goes through : sea, mountain, and inland,” the pronoun reference and punctuation are awkward. The final sentence, “As a result of rains and winds the rain-shadow desert is formed,” needs clearer article use and punctuation. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and make the subject of each process action explicit.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.