Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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 given diagram demonstrate the formation of rain-shadow deserts that are formed in multiple steps through thousands of kilometers from the sea coast to the inland area through the mountains.

The process starts when wind approach the coast line near the sea and ends after dry winds reach the inland areas. The distance between the coast and inland area is nearly throusands of kilometers.

The winds approaching the coast are pushed upwards, causing the moist air to rise and cool in the windward side of the mountains resulting in the formation of clouds and thus precipitation occurs. Then, the dry air continuous to go downward in the leeward side of the mountain causing the winds to reach inland areas. The rain shadow deserts are formed in the inland area where the dry winds carrying sand from mountains is accumulated.

And the same process repeats in multiple cycles forming rain-shed deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall sequence from coastal winds to dry inland conditions and include the key stages of uplift, cooling, cloud formation and rain on the windward side. However, some important details are unclear or inaccurate. The diagram shows dry air continuing over the mountain and dry winds reaching the inland area; it does not show air moving downward or sand accumulating from the mountains. The claim that the process repeats in cycles is also unsupported. Your overview is present, but it would be stronger if it clearly summarised the contrast between rainfall on the windward side and desert formation inland, without adding causes or stages not shown.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows the process in a generally logical order, moving from winds approaching the coast to the desert inland, and the paragraph breaks help separate the introduction from the explanation. Linking expressions such as “causing,” “resulting in,” and “Then” make the sequence understandable. However, the final sentence beginning “And the same process…” feels detached and repeats the idea of formation rather than adding a clear concluding feature. Some references are also imprecise: “the process” and “the same process” do not clearly identify which stages are being repeated. Grouping the stages into a clearer overview and a step-by-step account would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “formation,” “moist air,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “precipitation,” which helps communicate the diagram’s main stages. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “dry air continuous to go downward” does not describe the diagram clearly, and “sand … is accumulated” introduces an unsupported detail. There are also spelling errors in “throusands” and “rain-shed,” and “rain-shadow deserts” is the correct term. Aim for precise process language such as “continues across the mountain” and “rain falls on the windward side,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures such as “The winds approaching the coast are pushed upwards, causing the moist air to rise and cool…” This gives the response some structural variety, and the sequence remains mostly understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, including subject–verb agreement in “The given diagram demonstrate” and “wind approach,” and the verb form in “the dry air continuous to go.” The phrase “the dry winds carrying sand from mountains is accumulated” also has problems with agreement and sentence construction. Review agreement, verb forms and articles, and make sure longer cause-and-effect sentences remain grammatically controlled.

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

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