Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The formation of a rain shadow desert is a long process starting thousands of kilometres away with winds approaching the coastal area. It consists of roughly seven steps over a long period of time.

In the beginning, high winds from the sea approach the coast and continue moving upwards with a push from the mountains. These winds, on their way to the sky, become moist and cool and form clouds. Rainy spells occur most frequently on the coastal side of the mountain in the first phase.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, dry air continues, and those dry winds that then reach inland areas are the main cause of a rain shadow desert. A rain shadow desert, as the name suggests, is a desert formed because of the lack of rain on the opposite side of desert

In conclusion, the rain shadow desert is due to the long spells of dry winds and the overall lack of cloud formation and rain on the opposite side of the mountain.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland, and you identify the rain-shadow desert as the outcome. The description of clouds forming and rain falling on the coastal, windward side is also relevant. However, some stages are compressed or imprecise: the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling before clouds form, whereas “become moist and cool and form clouds” blurs these steps. The overview also calls this a process over a “long period of time,” although the diagram indicates a horizontal distance of thousands of kilometres, not a duration. Explain more clearly how the mountain causes rainfall on the windward side and leaves dry air to cross the leeward side.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall order, moving from the coastal winds to the inland desert, and paragraphing separates the early and later stages. Connectors such as “In the beginning” and “Meanwhile” help signal progression. However, the final “In conclusion” repeats the cause already stated in the preceding paragraph rather than adding a concise overview, and “Meanwhile” suggests simultaneous events even though the diagram presents a sequence. Some references are also unclear: “the opposite side of desert” does not identify the mountain’s leeward side precisely. A more effective structure would give the overall process in an opening overview, then describe the windward and leeward stages in sequence with clear references.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “coastal area,” “moist,” “dry air,” “inland areas,” and “lack of rain,” so the main meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “the main cause.” However, some choices are imprecise or repetitive: “long process” and “long period of time” confuse distance with duration, while “high winds” is not supported by the diagram. “Rainy spells occur most frequently” is an awkward way to report the diagram’s rainfall stage, and “on the opposite side of desert” is unclear. Prefer precise labels such as “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “precipitation,” and avoid repeating “rain shadow desert” where a clear reference will do.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “those dry winds that then reach inland areas” and the introductory phrase “as the name suggests.” Most sentences communicate the process successfully. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain, however. The final phrase “on the opposite side of desert” is missing an article and has an unclear construction; “on the opposite side of the mountain” would be grammatically complete. The sentence beginning “A rain shadow desert, as the name suggests” also ends without a full stop, so it runs into the next sentence. Continue using complex structures, but check articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation carefully.

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