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 diagram demonstrates the process of making of rain-shadow deserts. It includes seven steps from winds approaching coast to dry winds reaching inland areas within thousands of kilometres.

Overall, it can be seen that formation of rain-shadow desert involves three locations including seas, windward and leeward sides of mountains and inland. It also covers a considerable distance of over 1000km.

At first, winds approach coast followed by winds pushed upwards and moist air rinses and cools. After the crucial first three steps, clouds forms and rain falls over the top of mountains eventually. Except the intial step, all other steps from winds pushing upwards to rain falling occur along the windward side of mountains.When rain falls, along the leeward side of mountains two important steps happen start from dry air continues over mountain to dry winds reach inland areas. This ultimately leads to the formation of rain-shadow desert below inland.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and your overview identifies the mountain sides and inland desert as key locations. The description of moist air rising and cooling, followed by cloud formation and rainfall on the windward side, is relevant and mostly consistent with the diagram. This meets the task well, although some details are less fully or precisely reported: “over 1000km” is not shown—the diagram only labels the distance as “thousands of kilometres”—and the desert is described as “below inland,” which is not a clear account of its position beyond the leeward side. For a stronger response, keep the overview focused on the process and report only spatial information explicitly supported by the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological account of the stages. Sequencing phrases such as “At first,” “After the crucial first three steps,” and “When rain falls” help the reader follow the process. The progression is generally logical, but some links are awkward or repetitive, particularly “followed by winds pushed upwards” and “two important steps happen start from.” The overview also groups “seas, windward and leeward sides … and inland” in a way that is not fully clear. To improve, use more precise transitions between stages and make each sentence’s relationship to the previous one explicit, while avoiding unnecessary step-counting.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “windward,” “leeward,” “moist air,” and “precipitation-related” terms such as “rain falls.” These choices show awareness of the diagram’s subject, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “process of making of” is redundant, “rinses” does not describe air becoming cooler, and “below inland” is imprecise. There are also spelling and form slips in “intial” and “clouds forms.” Aim for standard process language and check spelling and collocation; for example, describe air as rising and cooling, and say that the desert lies inland beyond the leeward side.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the time clause “When rain falls.” The sequence remains understandable, but some grammatical errors reduce accuracy. Examples include “clouds forms,” where the verb does not agree with the plural subject, and “two important steps happen start from,” which has an incomplete or faulty verb construction. The phrase “winds pushed upwards” also lacks a clear finite verb in its sentence context. Review subject–verb agreement and ensure each clause has a complete, correctly formed verb. More controlled complex sentences, with accurate clauses joined by “as,” “while,” or “after,” would strengthen the range.

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