Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates how rain-shadow, a type of a desert is formed.

Overall, there are 7 stages inlcuded in the formation of a rain-shadow desert. It starts with the winds from the sea and moves towards rain on mountains to dry winds towards the desert. It's a process ranging thousands of kilometres.

The first stage is the winds from the sea approaching the coast. The coastal area is mountaineous hence the winds are pushed upwards where the moist air rises and cools down as third stage of the process. Then the clouds start to form towards the windward side and as clouds keep getting higher the rain falls in the fifth stage of the process.

During the sixth stage, the dry air now continues to move over the mountain towards the leeward side and reaches the inland areas forming the rain-shadow desert in the last stage. The winds travel thousands of kilometres from sea to inland to form a rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence accurately, from winds approaching the coast through uplift, cooling, cloud formation and rainfall to dry air reaching inland. The overview also identifies the broad movement from sea to desert and the diagram’s large horizontal scale. These features make the response relevant and clear. Some details, however, are less fully explained: the rain is described as falling “on mountains,” but it would be more precise to locate it on the windward side, and the final stage could explain explicitly that the dry winds create the rain-shadow desert beyond the leeward side. The account is therefore effective overall, but a little more precise reporting and development would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the early stages and then the movement across the mountain to the inland desert. Sequencing expressions such as “The first stage,” “During the sixth stage” and “in the last stage” help the reader follow the process. The progression is generally logical, though some linking is mechanical because the stages are repeatedly announced by number. The sentence beginning “The coastal area is mountainous hence…” also compresses several steps, making the relationship between uplift, cooling and cloud formation less smooth. Grouping the stages into clearer phases and using more varied links to show cause and result would make cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “approaching the coast,” “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side” and “rain-shadow desert,” which allows the main features to be communicated. There is also some useful variation in describing movement, such as “pushed upwards” and “continues to move over the mountain.” However, the range is adequate rather than consistently precise, and a few choices are inaccurate or awkward: “mountaineous” is misspelled, “clouds keep getting higher” is not a precise description of the diagram, and “a type of a desert” has an unnecessary repeated article. Aim for exact process terms and natural collocations, for example “mountainous terrain” and “clouds form above the windward slope.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “a type of a desert” and a time clause in “as clouds keep getting higher.” Most of the process remains understandable, and the sequence is expressed with generally clear present-tense verbs. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “a type of a desert,” the article before “desert” is unnecessary; “The coastal area is mountainous hence…” needs clearer punctuation or a conjunction; and “as third stage of the process” is missing an article or possessive determiner. The sentence “It starts with the winds from the sea and moves towards rain…” also has an unclear subject reference. Check articles, clause connections and pronoun references to improve accuracy while retaining your sentence variety.

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