Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-03

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 demonstrates the steps through which the rain-shadow desert is formed under the mountains. It consists of multiple steps.

Overall, the contributing factor in the entire process is air. Winds become the reason of cloud formation. After that, rain falls on the mountains and dry air approaching over the mountains makes rain-shadow desert.

Initially, winds approach coast over the sea water.The winds move upward along the mountains on the left side that is called Windward side. The moist air rises and becomes cold. After the formation of clouds in the atmosphere, the rain falls on the mountains from clouds.

The dry air continues to move over the mountains on the right side of the mountains which is called Leeward side. This dry air reaches inland areas. Additionally, this complete procedure makes rain-shadow desert under the land. The total distance covered by the winds and air is thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the main sequence from coastal winds to rainfall and then dry air reaching inland, and it identifies the windward and leeward sides. The overview also recognises the key contrast between moist air and the dry air that contributes to the desert. These features make the account relevant and generally clear. However, some details are less fully or precisely reported: “under the mountains” and “under the land” misplace the rain-shadow desert, which the diagram shows inland beyond the leeward side. The statement that the process “makes” the desert is also broad; explain that the air loses moisture as rain on the windward side, leaving dry winds to continue inland. More precise coverage of this cause-and-effect relationship would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the stages before and after rainfall. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially” and “After that” help the reader follow the process, and the paragraph break before the dry-air stages is useful. This coherent progression is a strength. Some linking is mechanical or repetitive, however, particularly the repeated use of “After” and “This dry air.” The reference in “Additionally, this complete procedure” is also vague, and the final distance statement feels appended rather than integrated into the process description. Use a wider range of precise links and refer explicitly to the air’s loss of moisture and movement inland to make the connections smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the diagram, and the response uses relevant terms such as “moist air,” “cloud formation,” “Windward side,” “Leeward side,” and “inland areas.” These choices communicate the main stages, while attempts to vary wording show some range. At times, however, word choice and collocation are imprecise: “winds become the reason of cloud formation” is awkward, and “rain-shadow desert under the land” does not express the location accurately. “The total distance covered by the winds and air” is also an unnecessarily vague description of the diagram’s scale. Prefer concise process language and accurate geographical terms; this would make the account more natural and precise without requiring a much broader vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple sentences and more developed structures, including “After the formation of clouds in the atmosphere, the rain falls…” and the relative clause “which is called Windward side.” Most of the process remains understandable, and errors do not generally prevent communication. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, though. In “winds approach coast,” the article is missing, and “the reason of cloud formation” uses an incorrect grammatical pattern. The sentence “The dry air continues to move over the mountains on the right side of the mountains” is repetitive and awkwardly structured. There is also a missing space after the full stop in “water.The.” Check articles and preposition patterns, and simplify repeated constructions to improve accuracy and control.

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