Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The process diagram illustrates information about the formation of one type of desert which is known as rain-shadow desert.

Overall, it is a linear process which covers thousands of kilometres, consisting of seven steps. The process begins from the travelling of moist winds from the sea side and ends with dry winds moving toward an inland.

Starting from the windward side, the moist winds travelling over the sea reach the coast of mountains, where they begin to pushed upward toward the peak of mountains. When the moist air rises, it begins to cool down and form clouds. After cloud formation, rainfall occurs on the top of the mountains.

Next, rain water converts into dry air which continue to move to the leeward side. Through continues motion, dry winds reach to the inland areas. Finally, after travelling over thousands of kilometres, when dry winds meet with inland area, it results in the formation of rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the diagram as a rain-shadow desert process and give a clear overview of its seven stages, including the movement from the sea towards inland areas. The main sequence—air rising and cooling, cloud formation, rainfall on the mountain’s windward side, and dry air continuing to the leeward side—is largely accurate. This covers the task well, but some details are less fully or precisely reported. For example, “rain water converts into dry air” suggests that rain itself changes into air; the diagram instead shows that air loses moisture as rain falls, then continues over the mountain. The final stage is also better described as dry winds reaching inland areas, where the rain-shadow desert is located, rather than winds “meeting with” the inland area to create it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview and two chronological paragraphs, so the reader can follow the process from the coast to the inland desert. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Starting from,” “After,” “Next” and “Finally” help signal the stages, and the progression is clear throughout. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and a few references make the relationships less precise. “Through continues motion” does not clearly connect the air’s passage over the mountain with its arrival inland, while “it results” has an unclear reference. Use more direct links, such as “As the dry air descends on the leeward side, it travels inland,” to make the sequence smoother and the cause-and-effect relationship clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “rainfall” and “inland areas.” These terms help describe the diagram accurately, and the meaning is generally clear. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise, though: “rain water converts into dry air” misrepresents the process, “reach to the inland areas” is not a natural collocation, and “travelling of moist winds” is awkward. “Rain-shadow desert” is also more naturally written with an article in the opening sentence. To improve precision, choose verbs that describe the diagram’s actions directly—for example, air “loses moisture,” “continues across the mountain,” and “reaches inland areas.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including time clauses such as “When the moist air rises” and a concluding clause beginning “Finally, after travelling…”. These structures support a clear account, but some grammatical errors remain. In “they begin to pushed upward,” use the infinitive “to be pushed” or “to rise”; “dry air which continue” needs subject–verb agreement (“continues”); and “winds meet with inland area” needs an article and a more suitable construction. The opening phrase “the travelling of moist winds” is also an awkward noun phrase. Review verb forms after “begin,” agreement with singular subjects, and article use. More consistently accurate clauses would make the process easier to read.

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