Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 diagram illustrates how rain-shadow desert is formed by the occurance of natural events. Overall, the formation of rain-shadow desert is based on 7 stages involving sea, moutains and rain as primary factor playing a significant role.

The process of formation starts when the sea winds approaches the coastal area near the mountains, the winds are pushed upwards towards the mountain heights. The temperature of winds decreases as they rise up the mountain. Once the winds are reached to a windward side of the mountain, Winds transforms into clouds which attains more height in the sky. After reaching a certain height, the clouds bursts causing rainfall process.

Water for rainfall fell down, while the dry air continues to travel across over the mountain approaching towards the leeward side of the mountain. Crossing the leeward side the dry winds travel and reach the inland area forming the rain-shadow desert. The mountains in between the coastal sea and rain shadow deserts is spread over thousands of kilometers so the whole process is long and involves multiple stages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You give a clear account of the main sequence, from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland and creating the rain-shadow desert. The overview identifies the process as involving seven stages, and the description includes the key contrast between rainfall on the windward side and dry conditions beyond the mountains. This covers the task well. Some details, however, are over-generalised or not quite precise: the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form, whereas you say the winds “transform into clouds”; it also shows rain falling, rather than explaining that clouds burst. The final claim that the mountains extend “thousands of kilometres” misreads the scale arrow, which indicates the horizontal distance. Clarifying these points would make the account more consistently precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into an introduction and overview followed by a chronological description, and the stages are generally easy to follow. Sequencing phrases such as “Once,” “After reaching,” and “Crossing the leeward side” help guide the reader through the process. This is a coherent overall arrangement. However, some links are awkward or repetitive, particularly the repeated references to “the mountain” and “the leeward side,” and the transition from rainfall to dry air could be clearer. The final sentence shifts to the scale and length of the process without connecting that point smoothly to the preceding explanation. More precise referencing and a clearer link between each stage would strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of process vocabulary, including “coastal area,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “rainfall,” and “inland area,” which allows you to describe the diagram’s main features. There are also attempts at more formal wording, such as “significant role” and “approaching.” However, some choices are inaccurate or unnatural in context: winds do not “transform into clouds,” and “clouds bursts” is not an appropriate description of precipitation. “Sea winds” and “water for rainfall fell down” are also imprecise. Spelling errors such as “occurance” and “moutains” reduce accuracy. Aim for standard process collocations such as “moist air rises and cools,” “clouds form,” and “rain falls,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including time clauses such as “Once the winds are reached…” and participial phrasing such as “Crossing the leeward side…”. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction remain. For example, “the sea winds approaches” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “Once the winds are reached to a windward side” uses an incorrect passive form and preposition. “Water for rainfall fell down” shifts awkwardly in tense, and “the mountains … is spread” has a plural subject with a singular verb. Review agreement and verb patterns, and use consistent present simple forms for a process. More accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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