Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

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 picture presents the process of formation of one of the deserts namely Rain-shadow desert. The desert in picture, has mountains next to it, which accumulate almost thousnads of kilometers of area and create the environment needed for formation of rain-shadow.

Overall, mountains and sea are located next to eachother. The position and the structure of mountains are responsible for the changes in winds' directions. After going through several steps, moist winds finally convert into the dry one that ultimately reach inland areas.

Firstly, winds flowing over sea and approach coastal area. Due to the presence of mountains, winds pushed upwards. Rising towards the windward side of mountains, moist air cools down and converts into clouds.

Rain falls from the formed clouds while dry air separated from the moist air, continues over mountains and flows downwards crossing over the leeward side of mountains. Finally, dry winds reach inland areas and the areas transformed into rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers the main stages and gives a clear overview of the relationship between the mountains, changing winds and the inland desert. It accurately describes moist air rising and cooling, cloud formation and rain on the windward side, followed by dry air crossing the mountains and reaching inland areas. This selection of key features makes the process easy to understand. Some details are less precise: the opening says the mountains “accumulate almost thousands of kilometers of area,” although the diagram’s “Thousands of kilometres” label indicates horizontal scale, not the area occupied by the mountains. The final claim that inland areas are “transformed into” desert also overstates what the diagram shows. Clarifying these points would make the account more consistently precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear sequence, moving from an overview to the initial wind movement, then to rainfall and the dry air’s journey inland. “Firstly” and “Finally” help signal the process, while the paragraph breaks separate the overview from the stages. The progression is easy to follow, and references to the windward and leeward sides support the explanation. Some linking is a little mechanical, and the second paragraph’s statement that the mountains and sea are “located next to each other” is less useful than a direct transition into the process. The connection between rain falling and dry air continuing over the mountain could also be made more explicit. More varied, precise links between stages would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas.” These terms help convey the diagram’s main features, and the meaning remains clear despite some imprecise choices. However, several collocations or expressions are awkward: mountains do not “accumulate” kilometres of area, and “the dry one” is an imprecise substitute for “dry air.” There are also spelling errors such as “thousnads” and “eachother.” Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check spelling carefully; this would make the vocabulary more precise while retaining the useful technical terms already present.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview sentence beginning “After going through several steps” and the clause “while dry air separated from the moist air, continues…”. Most ideas can be understood, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “winds flowing over sea and approach coastal area” has inconsistent verb forms and missing articles, while “Due to the presence of mountains, winds pushed upwards” needs a passive auxiliary (“are pushed”). In “dry air separated from the moist air, continues,” the comma interrupts the subject and verb, and the tense or participle construction is unclear. Review articles, verb forms and punctuation, and use passive structures consistently when describing a process.

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

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