Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 shows how the rain-shadow deserts formed through several incidents in the atmosphere.

Overall, the sea being thousands of kilometres apart from rain-shadow desert draws attention in terms of area occupied by sea on the western part and on the extreme east, entire surface is transformed into a desert. The mountain is seperating both sea and the desert.

To commence with, the formation of rain-shadow desert involves 7 different atmosphereic events. Firstly, winds across the sea approaches the coast where the foot of the mountain is situated. There after, those winds are pushed upwards. Wind is cooled down here due to decline in atmospheric pressure and also the moisture increases in the air. Due to condensation, clouds are formed and it leads to rain fall at the peak of the hill.

Since the hill is declining, only dry air is observed to move downwards the hill. The dry winds reach the inland areas. Here, because of the dry winds the formation of rain-shadow desert is attained.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from coastal winds rising over the mountains to dry winds reaching inland, and your final sentence links these winds to desert formation. The overview also identifies the mountain as the barrier between the sea and desert. However, some details are unclear or not supported by the diagram: it does not say the sea and desert are thousands of kilometres apart, but shows a horizontal scale of thousands of kilometres. The explanation that rising air increases in moisture is also inaccurate; the diagram indicates that moist air rises and cools, clouds form, and rain falls on the windward side. Clarifying this process and distinguishing the windward and leeward sides would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the process in sequence. Connectors such as “Firstly,” “There after,” and “Since” help guide the reader through the stages. However, the overview sentence beginning “Overall, the sea being thousands of kilometres apart…” is difficult to follow and combines scale with the locations of the sea and desert in a confusing way. Some links between stages are also imprecise: “it leads to rain fall” does not clearly identify whether “it” refers to cloud formation or condensation. Use clearer topic sentences and explicit references to the windward and leeward sides to strengthen progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “atmosphere,” “moisture,” “condensation,” “inland areas,” and “dry winds,” which gives the description an appropriate technical focus. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, such as “atmospheric pressure” and “formation … is attained,” but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “Incidents” does not suit stages in a natural process, and “the mountain is separating both sea and the desert” is awkward. Spelling errors such as “seperating” and “atmosphereic” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural collocations and use the diagram’s terms consistently, especially “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “rain-shadow desert.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including the clause “Since the hill is declining, only dry air is observed to move downwards the hill.” The sequence is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “winds … approaches” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “the sea being thousands of kilometres apart” is an awkwardly formed clause. “There after” should be written as one word, and “Wind is cooled down” needs an article or plural form. The sentence about pressure and moisture also has unclear grammatical relationships between its clauses. Review agreement, articles, and clause construction, and favour direct sentence patterns when describing each stage.

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.