Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the formation of rain-shadow deserts via sea, mountains, rain, soil, and air.

The formation of rain-shadow forest requires seven steps in total, and it starts from a place which is thousands of kilometers away from the area where rain-shadow desert will be formed in the future. Sea and mountain are crucial for its formation.

Initially, wind approaches the coast of a sea. Then the wind is pushed upward because of hitting mountains. While rising upward, the moist air becomes cool. Then it forms clouds in the sky. After that, rain falls through the clounds, when the clouds reach the snowy peak of the mountain. All these happens on the windward side of the mountains.

In the leeward side, dry air continues over mountains and starts to move downward to towards the inlanda areas. Finally the air reaches inland areas. Thus, rain-shadow desert is formed in the inland.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers the main sequence, from winds approaching the coast through uplift, cooling, cloud formation and rainfall to dry air reaching inland, and it correctly identifies the windward and leeward sides. This gives the reader a generally clear account of the process. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram shows rain falling above the windward slope, but does not say that clouds reach a snowy peak; “soil” is mentioned in the opening although it is not shown. The overview also says the process starts thousands of kilometres away, whereas that label indicates the horizontal scale, not the starting point. To strengthen the report, give a concise overview of the moisture loss over the mountains and resulting dry conditions inland, and avoid adding unsupported details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a sensible order, and paragraphing separates the introduction from the two main parts of the process. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “Then,” “After that,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the diagram. The organisation is coherent overall, but the linking can feel mechanical because most transitions simply mark the next step. Some references are also imprecise: “All these” does not clearly identify which stages it refers to, and “In the leeward side” is an awkward transition into the final stages. Grouping the stages more explicitly—for example, moisture rising and rain falling on the windward side, followed by dry air moving inland—would make the progression clearer and cohesion less dependent on repeated sequencing words.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “approaches,” “pushed upward,” “moist air,” “windward side,” and “leeward side.” These terms help describe the diagram, and the main meaning remains understandable. However, some choices are inaccurate or imprecise: “rain-shadow forest” conflicts with the task’s desert, “clounds” is misspelled, and “soil” is not a relevant feature shown. Phrases such as “starts to move downward to towards the inlanda areas” also show limited control of natural collocation and spelling. Aim for precise, consistent terminology and check spelling; “dry air descends” and “inland areas” would express the process more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the time clause “While rising upward, the moist air becomes cool” and the causal construction “because of hitting mountains.” Most stages can be understood, but some grammatical errors remain. “The formation … require seven steps” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “All these happens” also has incorrect agreement. The phrase “starts to move downward to towards” contains an unnecessary repeated preposition, and “In the leeward side” uses an incorrect preposition in this pattern. There is also a tense inconsistency in “desert will be formed” within a general process description. Use the present simple consistently, check agreement, and proofread prepositions and sentence boundaries.

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