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)

Overall, in this picture illustrates the process of formation of rain-shadow deserts. It provide the step-by-step guidence how it is formed. There are total 7 steps in the whole process.

As shown in the picture, it starts at coastal areas where the winds from sea level approaches to the coast and is pushed upwards in direction of the mountain's tip. In the next step, air containing the moisture starts to cool down when it reaches the windward side of the mountain, which leads to the formation of clouds carrying water for rain. At the peak of the mountain small droplets of water converted from moisture rains down on the tip. After raining air becomes dry and continues flowing over mountain through the leeward side. In the final step,after travelling for thousands of kilometersfrom the sea, dry winds reaches at the inland areas to form rain-shadow desert. This is the whole natural process helps for the formation of rain-shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland, and you identify the key contrast between the rain-bearing windward side and the dry leeward side. The overview also recognises that this is a staged natural process. Some details, however, are less precise: the diagram says moist air rises and cools, clouds form, and rain falls, whereas “small droplets of water converted from moisture” is unclear and does not accurately describe that sequence. The final statement that the winds travel thousands of kilometres is supported by the scale, but the explanation could more clearly connect rainfall on the windward side with the resulting dry conditions inland. A more concise, accurate overview and clearer stage descriptions would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an opening overview is followed by the stages in sequence, using markers such as “In the next step” and “In the final step.” This makes the process easy to follow. However, the opening repeats the idea of formation, and the final sentence restates the topic rather than adding a useful concluding feature. Some links are also mechanical, while the long second paragraph combines many stages without clear breaks. The reference in “which leads to the formation of clouds carrying water for rain” is understandable but slightly awkward in its connection to the preceding cooling stage. Grouping the stages into clearer phases and using more precise transitions would make cohesion more flexible and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “coastal areas,” “moisture,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” which gives the account an adequate range for the diagram. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “step-by-step guidance.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “clouds carrying water for rain” and “droplets of water converted from moisture rains down” do not express the process clearly, and “reaches at the inland areas” is an awkward phrase. “Guidence” and the joined phrase “kilometersfrom” also show spelling or spacing slips. Aim for standard process collocations such as “moist air rises,” “condenses,” and “precipitation falls,” while checking spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “which leads to the formation of clouds” and a time clause beginning “when it reaches the windward side.” The sequence remains understandable, but some errors in sentence structure, agreement, and verb forms reduce accuracy. For example, “Overall, in this picture illustrates” has an unnecessary introductory phrase and an incomplete construction; “It provide” and “dry winds reaches” have subject–verb agreement errors. The phrase “moisture starts to cool down” also assigns the action to the wrong grammatical subject, and “air becomes dry and continues flowing” would be clearer with a more explicit subject reference. Review agreement and clause construction, and proofread punctuation and spacing, especially around “In the final step,after.”

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