Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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 the formation of the rain-shadow desert, the entire cycle of its formation can be mainly divided into 7 stages.

We see that "wind" plays a vital role in this process, it all starts with it approaching the coastal region from the sea, and then being lifted upwards along with the surface of the mountains, from "coastal" to "windward side". This air is moist and chill and it rises up high , that leads to cloud formation, these clouds when heavy with moist air, tend to release all that moisture in the form of water back to the land in the form of "rain fall".

All these stages that we discussed until now are on the "windward side" of the mountain. In contrast to that, there is "leeward side"; this involves the final steps to the rain-shadow desert formation. There is dry air after the rainfall that continues over the mountain, it blows downward and reaches the inland region where the desert is finally formed.

The distance between the coastal region and the inland region is generally upto thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the main sequence and gives a clear overall account: moist air arrives from the sea, rises on the windward side, produces rain, and then dry air crosses the mountain to the inland desert. The contrast between the windward and leeward sides is also relevant. This meets the task well, but some details are less fully or precisely reported. For example, the diagram specifically shows the air rising and cooling before clouds form, whereas the response says it is “moist and chill” and does not clearly explain cooling. The final stage could also state more directly that dry winds reach inland areas and create the rain-shadow desert. The distance is mentioned, but its role as the horizontal scale is not explained.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a generally logical order, moving from the coastal approach through rainfall to the inland desert. The paragraph break before the leeward-side stages helps signal the contrast, and phrases such as “In contrast to that” guide the reader. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or imprecise: “All these stages that we discussed until now” is conversational and refers vaguely to the preceding process, while “it all starts with it” uses an unclear pronoun. The opening also announces seven stages without clearly presenting them as distinct steps. A more controlled progression, with concise stage-to-stage links and clearer references to the air, would make the organisation more fluent and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “coastal region,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moisture,” and “inland region.” These terms help communicate the diagram’s main features, and the writer attempts some more specific phrasing. At times, however, word choice or collocation is imprecise: “moist and chill” is not a natural description of the air, “release all that moisture” is informal, and “water back to the land” does not accurately describe rainfall. Quotation marks around labels such as “wind” and “rain fall” are unnecessary, and “rain fall” should be written as “rainfall” when used as a noun. More precise process language would improve clarity and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and complex structures, including clauses linked with “and then,” “that leads to,” and “where the desert is finally formed.” The sequence remains understandable, but some sentence-boundary and punctuation errors reduce control. For instance, “We see that ‘wind’ plays a vital role in this process, it all starts…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. The sentence beginning “This air is moist…” also contains a comma splice before “these clouds.” There are further issues with spacing before commas and with the construction “clouds… tend to release,” which makes the reference less clear. Breaking long sentences into accurately punctuated clauses and checking pronoun references would strengthen grammatical control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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