Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The given diagram illustrates the formation of a rain-shadow desert.

Overall formation process consists of a total of 7 steps, starting from winds approaching the sea coast and ending at dry winds reaching the inland areas. The entire process requires thousands of kilometers of land.

Firstly winds from the sea reach coastal areas which are then pushed upwards toward the mountains. In the third step, moist air rises and cools on the mountains followed by the cloud formation. Subsequently, these clouds then cause rainfalls on the top of the mountains pushing dry air forward.

In the 6th step the dry air keeps on traveling across the mountains towards the plains. Finally when the dry winds reach the inland areas, these dry winds can not produce clouds. Resulting in very less or no rainfall at all in the inland areas for years which result in the formation of the rain-shadow deserts. The entire process consists of winds travelling thousands of kilometers from sea to inland areas, crossing the mountain ranges.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response identifies the diagram as a seven-stage process and gives a clear overall direction, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. It also includes the key sequence of rising, cooling air, cloud formation, rainfall, and the continuation of dry air beyond the mountains. This covers the main features, but some details are less fully or precisely reported: the diagram shows rain on the windward side, while “on the top of the mountains” is less exact, and the claim that the process requires “thousands of kilometers of land” misinterprets the scale label, which indicates distance across the landscape rather than a requirement of the process. The explanation of how the desert results is relevant but could be more directly tied to the leeward side.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction, an overview, and then a description moving through the stages to the outcome. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “In the third step,” “Subsequently,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process. This gives the account a coherent overall progression. However, some linking is mechanical, and references are occasionally unclear or repetitive: “these clouds then cause rainfalls” and “these dry winds” repeat information rather than advancing it smoothly. The sentence beginning “Resulting in very less or no rainfall” is also detached from the preceding sentence, weakening the connection between the final stage and the desert’s formation. More varied, precise links between cause and result would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a natural process, with relevant terms such as “moist air,” “coastal areas,” “inland areas,” and “formation.” The writer also attempts more specific language, including “rain-shadow desert” and “mountain ranges,” and the meaning is generally clear. Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “rainfalls” is not the natural noun here, “very less” is an inaccurate expression, and “pushed dry air forward” is vague for describing air moving over the mountain. “The entire process requires thousands of kilometers of land” also uses “requires” in a way that does not fit the diagram’s scale label. More accurate process vocabulary and natural collocations would make the description more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “coastal areas which are then pushed upwards” and the time clause “Finally when the dry winds reach the inland areas.” Most stages remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions persist. For example, “Overall formation process consists” is missing a determiner, and “Resulting in very less or no rainfall” is a sentence fragment rather than a complete clause. The sentence “In the third step, moist air rises and cools on the mountains followed by the cloud formation” also has an unclear relationship between the stages. Improve sentence boundaries and clause structure, and check articles and comparative forms, to make the process description more consistently accurate.

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