Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-18

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 process diagram illustrates the various stages involved in forming a rain-shadow desert in a particular desert.

Overall, the process consists of seven main stages, beginning with the winds approaching the coast and pushing the top of the mountain upwards, and ending with the dry winds reaching inland areas, which then form a Rain-shadow desert.

Initially, the winds approach the coast while traveling over the surface of the sea. They then push to climb the mountain before turning into moist air on the windward side. Next, the moist air rises and cools, forming the clouds over the windward side. The newly formed clouds start raining after reaching over the top of the mountain.

Following this, the dry air continues over the leeward side of the mountain. They then go down toward the inland areas, which start at the bottom of the mountain. Finally, the dry winds reach the inland areas to form a Rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the process as a sequence and give a clear overall start and end, while covering most of the main stages: coastal winds, rising and cooling moist air, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air moving inland. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear. The diagram shows winds being pushed upwards by the mountain, not “pushing the top of the mountain upwards”; the winds do not “turn into moist air,” but are already described as moist as they rise. The final claim that the winds “form” the desert also overstates the diagram, which shows dry winds reaching the inland rain-shadow desert. Clarifying these points and explaining the windward-to-leeward contrast more precisely would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement, with an overview followed by a chronological account. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “Next,” “Following this,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the stages, and the paragraph breaks are appropriate. The progression is generally clear, though some links are mechanical because nearly every stage is introduced with a time marker. There is also a reference problem in “They then go down,” where “They” could refer to the dry air or the winds, and the relationship between the descending air and the desert is not fully explained. Use a wider range of linking relationships, such as cause and result, and make pronoun references explicit to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “stages,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” and “rain-shadow desert.” These terms are relevant and help communicate the diagram. Some choices, however, are imprecise or unnatural: “push the top of the mountain upwards” misrepresents the process, “push to climb the mountain” is awkward, and “start raining” is less suitable for formal process description. Capitalising “Rain-shadow desert” mid-sentence is also unnecessary. Aim for precise collocations such as air being forced upwards, rising over a mountain, and precipitation falling. This would make the description more accurate and formal while retaining your clear basic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including the overview clause “beginning with … and ending with …” and the participle phrase “forming the clouds.” Most sentences are understandable, and errors do not prevent the reader from following the sequence. Some grammatical choices are less controlled: “They then go down” has an unclear pronoun reference, and “the inland areas, which start at the bottom of the mountain” uses a relative clause that makes the location sound as though it begins there. The phrase “after reaching over the top” also has an awkward grammatical construction. Practise expressing cause and sequence with clear subjects—for example, “As the air crosses the mountain, it descends towards the inland area”—and check relative clauses and pronoun references.

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