Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-30

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 illustrates the process by which a rain-shadow desert is formed as result of wind movmement and rainfall around a mountain range.

Overall, the process consists of seven stages, In beginning wind pushed through coast which turns to form cloud on wind side of the mountain, secondly, dry wind blow down to inland that form rain shadow desert.

Intially process starts from the coast of the sea which risen the wind towards upward direction, wind with moisture blow to high, that process resulted to form clouds gradually rain falls happen on the windward side of the mountain.

Furthermore, wind coming from the windward side continues to down ward direction that was in dry form due to moisture loss in windward side . Eventually, when the dry winds reach inland areas then it culminates to dry desert. Consequently, rain shadow desert is formed in the leenward side of the mountain. Additionaly, distance between windward side and leeward side is of thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages and give an overall account of the process, including the movement of moist air up the windward side, rainfall, and the formation of a desert inland on the leeward side. This is relevant and broadly consistent with the diagram. The overview also identifies the sequence as a seven-stage process. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: “wind pushed through coast” does not clearly explain that winds approach from the sea and are forced upwards by the mountains, and the statement that the distance between the windward and leeward sides is thousands of kilometres misreads the diagram’s horizontal scale, which spans the wider area. To develop the response further, report the stages more precisely and distinguish the mountain’s two sides from the distance shown.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the process. The sequence from coastal winds to rainfall and then dry inland winds is generally easy to follow. However, progression is weakened by unclear or mechanical linking, such as “Overall,” followed by “In beginning,” and “Furthermore” and “Eventually” where the relationships between stages could be stated more directly. The overview also repeats information that is explained later, while the final sentence introduces the scale in a way that interrupts the process description. Use clearer stage-by-stage sequencing and keep the overview focused on the overall contrast between rain on the windward side and arid conditions inland.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moisture,” “windward side,” “dry winds,” and “rain-shadow desert,” which gives the response an adequate range for describing the diagram. Some attempts at more specific language are useful, but word choice and collocation are sometimes inaccurate or awkward: “wind pushed through coast,” “wind coming from the windward side,” and “culminates to dry desert” do not express the stages naturally. There are also spelling errors, including “movmement,” “Intially,” “Additionaly,” and “leenward.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the general process, but they reduce precision. Choose standard process verbs such as “approach,” “rise,” “lose moisture,” and “reach,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “which” and “when,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is uneven, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “Overall, the process consists of seven stages, In beginning wind pushed through coast” has faulty sentence boundaries and missing grammatical elements. In “wind coming from the windward side continues to down ward direction,” the verb pattern is incomplete, while “distance between windward side and leeward side is” lacks clear article use. Review articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, and build complex sentences around a clear subject and finite verb. More accurate control of these patterns would make the sequence easier to follow.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.