Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram below shows the formation of a type of desert, known as a rain shadow desert.

Overall, its obvious that there are plenty of steps that lead to the formation of the desert, starting from the winds approaching the coast and being pushed upwards the mountain and then travelling kilometres to the end, where dry winds reach inland.

There are various steps that start the formation of the desert, the first step is when the winds approach the coast by travelling through the sea and from there they go upwards a mountain and cool down through the windward side, forming into clouds which further causes rainfall.

Going through the leeward side of the mountain, the dry air continues to travel and reach the inland area, which is the rain shadow desert, thus forming desert. After a travelling of thousands of kilometres and a long process the wind reaches inland.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main process from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and you include the key stages of uplift, cooling, cloud formation and rainfall. The overview also recognises that this is a sequence ending in a rain-shadow desert. However, some details are imprecise: the air rises over the mountain, rather than simply “go[ing] upwards a mountain,” and the desert is the inland area beyond the leeward side, not the area that the air itself “reach[es]” as a desert. The role of the windward and leeward sides could be explained more clearly. The response is 141 words, below the required 150; this limits how fully the stages and their relationships are reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the process. The sequence is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “Going through the leeward side” help signal a change in location. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the final paragraph says both that dry air continues inland and that “the wind reaches inland,” repeating the same endpoint. The second paragraph also combines several stages in one long sentence, making the relationships between uplift, cooling, cloud formation and rain less clear. Use one stage per clause or sentence, and avoid repeating information already given in the overview to make the organisation more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “dry air,” “clouds” and “rainfall,” which allows the reader to understand the main features. There is also some variation in how you describe movement, such as “approaching,” “travelling” and “continues.” However, several choices are imprecise or repetitive for a process description. “Go upwards a mountain” is not a natural way to describe air being forced over a mountain, while “a travelling of thousands of kilometres” is awkward. “Formation of the desert” and “forming desert” repeat the same idea. More precise process terms and natural collocations would improve clarity and control, while retaining the relevant geographical vocabulary you already use.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex structures, including the overview clause “starting from the winds approaching the coast” and the sentence describing air moving through the leeward side. The main sequence remains understandable, but some errors and awkward constructions reduce accuracy. In “its obvious,” the contraction needs an apostrophe (“it’s”), and “the first step is when the winds approach” is an awkward structure for describing a process stage. The second body paragraph also joins several independent ideas with commas, creating a run-on sentence. There is some control of basic sentence forms, but clearer clause boundaries and more accurate sentence patterns would make the explanation easier to read.

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