Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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 image which is given illustrates that how one type of desert is formed. This desert is known as a rain-shadow desert.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts starts with the winds approaches sea coast then the winds are being pushed upwards towards mountains afterwards the moist air rises and gets cooler forwards it forms clouds towards the windward side of the mountain.

Then after the clouds almost reaches the top of the mountains rainfall begins then after winds gets on to another side of the mountain which is called leeward side. In this side dry air continues over mountain towards downside and then the dry winds reach inland areas. In inlands this is been formed as rain-shadow desert. This process takes place after travelling thousands of kilometers.

This was the brief about the formation of rain-shadow deserts which starts with the sea coast and it ends in inland by making rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and you identify the rain-shadow desert as the outcome. The account also correctly distinguishes the windward and leeward sides and mentions the scale of thousands of kilometres. However, the overview is mostly repeated in the final sentence rather than clearly summarising the key contrast: moist air rises and produces rain on the windward side, while dry air descends or continues inland on the leeward side. Some stages are less fully explained, and “rainfall begins” does not specify that rain falls over the mountains. A sharper overview and more precise description of the air’s change from moist to dry would make the key features clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable order: it follows the process from the coast, over the mountains, and into the inland desert. Paragraphing separates the opening, process description, and conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical because “then,” “afterwards,” and “then after” repeatedly link stages, while the long middle sentences contain several steps without clear boundaries. The final sentence largely repeats the opening and does not add a distinct summary. Use a wider range of sequencing and cause-and-effect links, and divide the process into shorter sentences—for example, one for rising and cooling air and another for rainfall and the dry air crossing the mountain. This would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” which allows the reader to understand the diagram. The terms “rain-shadow desert” and “thousands of kilometres” are also appropriate. However, some choices are imprecise or awkward, such as “sea coast,” “towards downside,” and “In inlands,” and “gets cooler” is less suitable for a formal process description than a more precise verb. There is some repetition of “winds,” “mountain,” and “then.” Aim for accurate collocations and varied process verbs, such as “approach the coast,” “ascend,” “cool,” “precipitation,” and “move inland.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a sequence linked with “then” and “afterwards,” and the overall meaning remains understandable. However, some grammatical errors occur in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “the winds approaches” should be “the winds approach,” and “the clouds almost reaches” should be “the clouds almost reach.” The opening phrase “illustrates that how” is not grammatically formed; use “illustrates how.” Several stages are joined into long sentences, making punctuation and clause relationships unclear. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and use full stops to separate stages. More controlled complex sentences, such as “As the moist air rises, it cools and forms clouds,” would improve both range and accuracy.

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