Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the formation process of rain-shadow desert which take place over thousands of kilometres sea, mountains and land.

Overall, there are several steps involved, starting from approach of winds to coast and ending up with blowing of dry winds in inland areas. The process requires seven inter-related processes along with presence of sea, mountains and inland.

Firstly, over the sea, winds reach the coast which are pushed up in windward slide direction. The winds being over the sea, are moist, which rises upward along with lowering its temperature. This leads to cloud formation and then rain falls.

Subsequently, as the rain fell from the clouds the wind is again left dried. This results in flow of dry air along the structure of mountains following the leward slide. Following the air flow, the dry winds are directed towards the inland areas causing the rain-shadow desert.

Moreover, the whole process take place over thousands of kilometres. It starts from the moist winds over sea to the dry winds over land area through the slide patterns of mountains.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the main stages and gives a clear overall sequence: moist winds approach the coast, rise and cool, produce clouds and rain, then continue inland as dry winds. It also identifies the rain-shadow desert and the diagram’s large horizontal scale. These features make the account relevant and broadly accurate. However, some details are less fully or precisely explained: “winds are pushed up in windward slide direction” is unclear, and the description does not clearly state that the mountains force the air upwards or distinguish the windward and leeward sides accurately. The final paragraph repeats the scale and route rather than adding useful process detail. To strengthen the response, explain the causal links and geographical positions more precisely, while keeping the overview concise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence, with an overview followed by the stages before and after rainfall. Paragraphing helps separate the introduction, initial process and inland outcome, and connectors such as “Firstly” and “Subsequently” guide the reader. This gives the response a coherent overall progression. Some cohesion is less controlled, however: “Moreover” introduces a point that largely repeats the introduction, and “Following the air flow” is an awkward link rather than a clear step in the sequence. References such as “the wind” and “the air” could also be more precise. For a stronger progression, use transitions only where they clarify a new stage and avoid restating the same route in the conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “moist,” “cloud formation,” “precipitation” (through “rain falls”), and “inland areas.” These choices communicate the general mechanism, and the writer attempts more specific terms such as “inter-related processes.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “windward slide direction,” “leward slide,” and “the wind is again left dried.” “Slide patterns of mountains” also does not describe the diagram clearly. These errors do not prevent the reader from following the main process, but they reduce precision. Use the diagram’s established terms—“windward side,” “leeward side,” and “dry air”—and choose verbs such as “ascend,” “cool,” and “continue” to describe the stages accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “which,” “as,” and “along with.” The sequence is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain and occasionally make relationships unclear. For example, “rain-shadow desert which take place” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an unclear relative clause; “The process requires seven inter-related processes” also uses an awkward grammatical construction. In “the winds … are moist, which rises upward,” the pronoun does not agree with its reference, while “the whole process take place” needs a singular verb. Review agreement, articles and clause structure, and make sure each pronoun clearly refers to the intended noun. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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