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 diagram illustrates the stages involved in the formation of rain-shodow deserts.

Overall, the formation process consists of seven stages, beginning with winds approaching coast, and ending with dry winds that reaches inland area.. It can be seen that mountains at coast causes the formation of the desert type.

The initial stages involve wind aproaching coast and how it forms rain, on the windward side of mountains. The process begins when wind flows towards coast, before being pushed upwards by the mountains on the coast. With that push, moist air rises and it cools down as altitude increases. That moist forms clouds, which causes rain. All these stages happens on the windward side of the mountain.

The final stages occure on the leeward side of the mountain. After rainfall on the windward side, there is no moisture left in the air. Therefore, the dry air continues to flow over the mountain and reaches inland areas. As the air does not hold moisture, inland areas turns into desert, known as rain-shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers the process from the approaching winds to the formation of the inland desert, and the overview identifies the seven-stage sequence and the role of the mountains. The account also correctly distinguishes the windward side, where clouds and rain form, from the leeward side, where dry air moves inland. These are the diagram’s central features, and the stages are explained in a clear order. Some details are slightly over-generalised: for example, “there is no moisture left in the air” is stronger than the diagram’s description of dry air continuing over the mountain. To strengthen the report, describe the air as losing moisture through rainfall rather than implying that all moisture disappears, and make the overview’s cause-and-effect relationship more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised effectively into an overview, an account of the windward stages, and a final paragraph about the leeward side. This gives the reader a clear progression through the diagram, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “The process begins,” and “After rainfall” help signal sequence and contrast. The division between the initial and final stages is particularly useful. Cohesion is not always fully controlled, however: “With that push” is a somewhat vague reference, and the repeated use of “The process begins” and “The initial stages” creates some overlap. The overview also contains an extra full stop. More precise referencing and a little less repetition would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing this process, with relevant terms such as “windward,” “leeward,” “moist air,” “altitude,” and “precipitation” (expressed as “rain”). The writer also uses process language such as “rises,” “continues to flow,” and “reaches inland areas.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “rain-shodow” is misspelled, “That moist forms clouds” is not a natural expression, and “mountains at coast causes” does not clearly express the intended relationship. “No moisture left” also overstates the diagram. Greater accuracy with spelling, word forms, and natural collocations would improve precision while retaining the useful range already shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and complex structures, including clauses with “before,” “which,” and “as,” and most meanings remain understandable. Some grammatical errors recur, though. In the overview, “winds approaching coast” needs an article, while “dry winds that reaches” has a subject–verb agreement error. “Mountains at coast causes” also has agreement and article problems, and “All these stages happens” should use a plural verb. The final sentence has a similar issue in “inland areas turns.” There are also punctuation slips, including the doubled full stop after “area.” Focus on articles, plural agreement, and checking the verb against its subject; this would make the varied sentence structures more consistently accurate.

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