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 pictorial diagram illustrates the seven steps process by which rain shadow desert is formed.

Overall, the process of rainshadow desert formation, is a seven step process which occur on both sides of a mountain. It includes wind approach coast, wind pushed upwards, moist air rises and cools, cloud forms, rain falls, dry air continues over mountain, dry wind reach inland areas and finally wind reaches inland area. The first step to the last step covers thousands of kilometers.

The process of the desert formation commences with winds from the sea that reaches the coast. The wind pushes upward towards the windward side of the mountain where moist air rises and cools. The moist air reaches the sky where clouds are formed which later falls as rain.

Dry air continues over the mountain towards the leeward side of the mountain. It rolls gradually to the ground level where it reaches the inland area where the rain shadow desert it finally 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 you identify the mountain’s windward and leeward sides. The overview also recognises that the process spans both sides of the mountain. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: “the moist air reaches the sky” is not shown, and the diagram indicates that clouds form and rain falls over the windward side, rather than simply saying clouds “later falls as rain.” The overview repeats the stages instead of highlighting the key cause-and-effect pattern: moist air loses its moisture on the windward side, leaving dry air to create a rain-shadow desert inland. Make that contrast explicit and describe the final desert’s location more precisely to develop the account further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the earlier and later stages. The sequence is generally easy to follow, with transitions such as “The process…commences” and “Dry air continues over the mountain.” However, the overview lists nearly every stage, making it repetitive rather than synthesising the process, and “finally” appears there before the final paragraph describes the ending again. Some references are also unclear, particularly “It rolls gradually,” where “it” could refer to the dry air or the wind. Use the overview to summarise the main pattern, then reserve the detailed sequence for the body paragraphs, with clearer references between stages.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “windward side,” “leeward side,” “moist air,” “dry air,” and “commences.” These terms help communicate the diagram’s stages, and the meaning is generally clear. Some word choices and collocations are less precise, however: “the wind pushes upward” makes the wind sound like an agent, while “reaches the sky” is not a natural description of rising air. There is also inconsistency in “rain shadow desert” and “rainshadow desert.” Aim for accurate, consistent terminology and natural process descriptions, such as air being forced upwards and moisture condensing into clouds. This would make the explanation more precise without requiring a much broader vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “the mountain where moist air rises and cools” and the sequence linked by “which later…”. The stages remain understandable, but some errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “a seven step process which occur” needs a singular verb, and “winds from the sea that reaches the coast” has a plural subject with a singular verb. In “the rain shadow desert it finally formed,” the clause is incomplete and needs a verb such as “is.” Check subject–verb agreement and ensure each clause has a complete verb structure; these corrections would improve control while preserving your range of sentence patterns.

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