Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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 shows how a rain-shadow desert is formed. Humid warm air from the sea reaches the coast and is pushed upwards by mountain ranges. Mountain ranges are, in most cases, hundreds of kilometers long. Rising warm humid air loses its temprature while climbing tall mountain ranges, which in turn cools it down. Water vapour starts to condense and clouds start to form on windward side. These clouds keep climbing upward untill they reach the peaks losing their temprature further. Losing their temprature clouds start to condense further and it starts to rain on the peaks. Since moisture of the air has alredy rained down, air becomes dry. This dry air starts to decend after travelling through hundreds of kilometers of mountains from leeward side of the range. This dry air reaches inland areas. Since it is alredy dry. it soaks up the remaining moisture of the inland areas turning them arid and dry which in turn creates these rain-shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence from moist sea air rising over the mountains to dry air reaching inland and creating a desert. The explanation of condensation, cloud formation and rainfall on the windward side is relevant, and the final outcome is clear. This meets the task well overall, but some details are less fully or precisely reported: the diagram shows winds approaching the coast and being forced upwards, while your opening adds that the air is warm and describes mountain ranges as hundreds of kilometres long. The visual instead labels the horizontal distance as thousands of kilometres. A concise overview identifying the contrast between the rainy windward side and dry leeward side would make the key features more explicit; avoid adding unsupported specifics.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and links such as “Since moisture of the air has already rained down” help explain why the air becomes dry. The reader can follow the process from the sea to the inland desert. However, the response is one continuous paragraph, so the overview and the sequence of details are not clearly separated. Some connections also feel repetitive or mechanical, particularly the repeated references to air “losing their temperature” and the repeated use of “Since.” The sentence “Since it is already dry. it soaks up…” is incorrectly divided, interrupting the flow. Group the stages into a clear overview and a process paragraph, and use a wider range of accurate transitions and reference words.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “condense,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moisture” and “arid,” which helps communicate the stages. There are also attempts at more specific description, such as “pushed upwards” and “soaks up.” However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise: air does not “lose its temperature” naturally in this context, and “clouds start to condense” is less accurate than saying water vapour condenses to form clouds. Spelling errors such as “temprature,” “untill,” “alredy” and “decend” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process terms and check spelling carefully; avoid repeating “dry” and “start to” when more exact alternatives are available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “while,” “which” and “Since,” and the overall meaning remains understandable. Some sentence patterns are controlled, such as “Humid warm air from the sea reaches the coast and is pushed upwards.” However, errors in sentence boundaries and punctuation are noticeable. “Since it is already dry. it soaks up…” should be joined or recast, and the lowercase “it” after the full stop is incorrect. The sentence beginning “Losing their temperature clouds…” also needs a comma after its introductory phrase. There is some awkward control of pronoun reference in “clouds… losing their temperature,” where the intended subject is unclear. Use a few well-controlled complex structures rather than linking every stage into long sentences.

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