Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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)

This diagram shows the formation of clouds, movement of wind, and rainfall patterns on a mountain. When wind moves from sea to coastal area, it gets pushed higher with the altitude. The moment this moist air rises and reach at the mountain, it transforms into clouds. these clouds kep travelling over windward side. When they attain more height, the rain falls at the peak.

Afterwards, the dry air keeps moving down the hill at the Leeward side. This air reaches at the inland areas where you can find a rain-shadow desert. The moisture air contained before was converted into the rain and fallen at the Windward side.

The rain couldn't reach at the Leeward side. That's why, the other side remains dry and a desert is formed. This inland desert is named as rain-shadow desert. These deserts are usually found near the higher mountain ranges. In Pakistan, thr Sarfaranga desert in the north is an example of rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence: coastal winds rise over the mountains, moisture produces rain on the windward side, and dry air continues inland to create a rain-shadow desert. This gives the reader a generally accurate account of the process. However, some stages are less clearly reported: the diagram specifically shows moist air cooling as it rises before clouds form, while your description says it “transforms into clouds” on reaching the mountain. The final comments about deserts being near high ranges and the Sarfaranga desert are not shown in the diagram, so they do not strengthen the summary. Focus more precisely on the illustrated stages and their locations, including the dry winds crossing the leeward side into inland areas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression from winds arriving at the coast to the formation of the inland desert, and the paragraph break helps separate the process from its consequence. Sequencing expressions such as “Afterwards” and “That’s why” make the relationships understandable. This is a coherent arrangement, with some effective linking, but cohesion is not consistently smooth: “This air” and “The moisture air contained before” are not fully clear references, and the explanation that rain does not reach the leeward side repeats the earlier point about dry air and desert formation. To strengthen progression, group each stage in order and use precise references to the air, moisture, and mountain sides rather than restating the same cause.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “Leeward side,” “inland areas,” “moist air,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which makes the topic clear. There is some range in phrases describing movement and change, such as “pushed higher” and “keeps moving down.” However, several choices are imprecise or awkward for this diagram: “transforms into clouds” does not accurately describe cloud formation, and “the moisture air” is an unsuitable word combination. Spelling slips such as “kep” and “thr” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process collocations and consistent spelling; for example, describe air as rising and cooling, then forming clouds, rather than saying it transforms into them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including the time clause “When they attain more height, the rain falls at the peak” and the causal sentence “That’s why, the other side remains dry.” The sequence is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. In “moist air rises and reach,” the verb should agree with the singular subject; “the moment this moist air rises and reach at the mountain” also has an awkward clause structure. The sentence beginning “The moisture air contained before” is incomplete or unclear in its construction, and “these clouds” should begin with a capital letter after the full stop. Review subject–verb agreement, sentence boundaries, and clause formation while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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