Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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 the formation process of a type of desert known as the rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the process consists of 7 stages, beginning with the approch of winds from the coast. When the coast wind approches from the sea and it is pushed in an upward direction, followed by the 3rd stage in which the air becomes moist, it rises and cools down resulting in the formation of clouds, hence completing the four stages of rain desert formation.

In the further stages, that is the 5th stage a process we all are aware of is the rain formation, and the rain falls on the top of the mountain. The air becomes dry and moves over the leeward side of the mountain. In the last stage, the dry winds reaches the inland areas in the bottom of the mountain side and as a result the rain-shadow deserts are formed. The whole process takes time as the distance between the Sea and Inland is thousands of kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the diagram as a process and give a useful overall account of its seven stages, including the movement from coastal winds to inland desert formation. The main sequence is mostly accurate: air rises and cools, clouds form, rain falls, and dry air crosses the mountain. However, some details are unclear or imprecise. For example, “the air becomes moist” does not clearly report that the incoming moist air rises and cools, and “rain falls on the top of the mountain” is more specific than the diagram supports, which shows rain over the windward side and peak. The claim that the process “takes time” is not shown; the scale indicates distance. Develop the stages more precisely and avoid unsupported interpretation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview of the early stages, and a paragraph covering the later stages. The sequence is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “In the further stages” and “In the last stage” help signal progression. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “hence completing the four stages” and “that is the 5th stage a process we all are aware of.” The second paragraph also combines the rain, movement of dry air, desert formation, and distance without clearly separating the diagram’s main stages from the scale information. Use simpler, more precise transitions and make each paragraph’s progression explicit to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “upward direction,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the diagram’s main features. Some wording is imprecise or unnatural for an academic process description: “coast wind,” “rain formation,” and “in the bottom of the mountain side” do not describe the features as clearly as standard geographical terms would. There are also spelling errors in “approch” and “approches,” and “rain desert formation” is not the diagram’s term. Aim for accurate collocations and consistent terminology, such as “coastal winds,” “precipitation,” and “rain-shadow desert.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sentence with “When” and a result clause beginning “as a result.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. The sentence beginning “When the coast wind approches from the sea…” is a dependent clause followed by an incomplete construction; it needs a main clause, for example, “As coastal winds approach from the sea, they are forced upwards.” There is also subject–verb disagreement in “the dry winds reaches,” and the phrase “the 5th stage a process…” lacks punctuation or a grammatical link. Check clause completeness, agreement, and sentence boundaries, while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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