Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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 7.0)

The diagram illustrates the formation of a specific type of desert which is called a rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it is a linear process involving seven steps which begins with the winds approaching the coastal area and ends when the winds enter the inland area. It involves the winds travelling thousands of kilometres from coast to the inland. The diagram shows how the winds move along the sea and travel over the mountains highlighting the two sides as windward and leeward and lastly reaching the inland.

The process begins at the sea when winds are approaching the coast and are pushed upwards through the windward area. As the air becomes moist and cool, it leads to cloud formation. The rain falls on the mountain and now when the wind is going down the mountain on the leeward side, it becomes dry. In the final step, these winds reach the inland area as dry winds thus forming a rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response identifies the diagram as a seven-stage process and gives a clear overall account of its direction, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland. It also reports the key causal stages: air rises, cools, clouds form, rain falls on the mountain, and dry air continues on the leeward side, producing the desert. These details address the main features accurately. The account could be more precise in places: “winds enter the inland area” is less specific than explaining that dry winds reach inland beyond the leeward side, and the description of the air becoming “moist” is not clearly presented as a change shown in the diagram. A more exact overview and clearer distinction between the windward and leeward effects would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview, and a chronological description, so the reader can follow the process from coast to inland. Sequencing phrases such as “Overall,” “The process begins,” “As,” and “In the final step” help signal progression, and the stages are presented in a sensible order. The overview repeats some information, however: the winds’ journey over the mountains and arrival inland are described there and then again in the body. Some links are also slightly awkward, particularly “and now when the wind is going down the mountain,” which makes the transition less smooth. To improve, keep the overview focused on the process’s main pattern and use more concise links between the rising, rainfall, and descending-air stages.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the process, and relevant terms such as “windward,” “leeward,” “cloud formation,” and “rain-shadow desert” show awareness of the diagram’s subject. The writer also varies some wording with “winds,” “air,” and “dry winds.” However, several expressions are imprecise or repetitive, including “winds move along the sea,” “pushed upwards through the windward area,” and “going down the mountain.” “Moist” is not the clearest choice for describing the air at that point, and “lastly reaching the inland” is an awkward phrase. Greater precision in process vocabulary and more natural collocations would add flexibility. For example, describe air as rising over the windward slope and descending on the leeward side.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “a specific type of desert which is called a rain-shadow desert” and a time clause beginning “As the air becomes…”. Most meanings remain clear, but some sentence structures are awkward or insufficiently controlled. In “It involves the winds travelling thousands of kilometres from coast to the inland,” the article and preposition pattern is problematic; “from the coast inland” would be more natural. The phrase “and now when the wind is going down the mountain” also creates an unclear clause structure, while “thus forming a rain-shadow desert” is attached somewhat loosely to the preceding sentence. Aim for cleaner clause boundaries and more consistent use of articles and prepositions while retaining the complex structures attempted.

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.