Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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)

This diagram illustrates how a rain-shadow desert is formed.

Overall, this is a linear process which includes seven phases starting from the sea above which the wind approaches the coast and end with the dry winds reaching inland areas.

Starting with the first most phase, winds reach the coast of the sea and after that the wind is pushed in upward direction because of the collosion with mountains. Then the air with moisture reaches the higher level and cools down which in result create clouds.

After that, from the clouds formed from the cooled air, the rain falls on the mountain and the air that was coming from the sea becomes dry. Furthermore, it continues crossing over the mountain but now in downwards direction in leeward side. Now that dry air reaches the inland area and the rain-shadow is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland, and your overview correctly identifies a seven-stage process. The account also includes the key change from moist air to dry air and the resulting rain-shadow desert. However, some stages are less fully described: the diagram specifically shows moist air rising and cooling, clouds forming, and rain falling on the windward side, while your description does not clearly locate the rainfall there. The final statement that “the rain-shadow is formed” is also less precise than explaining that dry winds reach inland beyond the leeward side. The response is 10 words below the required minimum, so there was limited space to develop these details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression, with an introductory sentence, an overview, and a chronological account of the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Starting with,” “After that,” and “Furthermore” help the reader follow the process, and the shift from the windward to the leeward side is broadly understandable. This is a coherent arrangement, though some linking is mechanical and the long final paragraph combines several stages that could be separated for clarity. For example, the transition from cloud formation to rainfall and then to dry air crossing the mountain is compressed into one sentence. More precise referencing and paragraphing would make the progression smoother and closer to consistently flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moisture,” “clouds,” “rain,” “leeward side,” and “inland area,” so the main meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “collosion with mountains” and “in upward direction,” but these are inaccurate or unnatural, and “collosion” is misspelled. Repetition of “wind,” “air,” and “mountain” limits the range, while phrases such as “the first most phase” and “which in result create clouds” show imprecise word choice and form. Aim for accurate collocations such as “is forced upwards,” “moist air cools,” and “precipitation falls on the windward slope.” This would improve precision without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses linked with “because” and “which,” and the sequence remains understandable. However, some grammatical errors occur in these longer structures. In “the wind approaches the coast and end,” the verb does not agree with its subject; “which in result create clouds” has problems with clause structure and agreement; and “the air that was coming from the sea becomes dry” shifts tense awkwardly. Articles and prepositions are also sometimes inaccurate, as in “in upward direction” and “in leeward side.” These errors do not usually prevent understanding, but they reduce control. Use consistent present simple for a process description and check agreement and article use when revising complex sentences.

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