Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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)

This passage describes how rain-shadow deserts are formed. They are birthed near the areas that include mountains near the sea level. The formation involves 7 crucial steps. The first few steps are similar to how rain clouds are formed in the sky.

First, strong winds from the ocean surface travel towards the coast and as mentioned, hit the base of the mountains near the sea. The coastal winds have nowhere to go but up the mountains because of the high wind speed. As it travels up, the air which is dense in humidity, cools down. This in turn forms clouds ready to burst on top of the mountains. This part of the mountain where moist air rises up and cools down is called the Windward side.

As rain falls over the summit, the air loses its moisture and becomes dry. The air then descends down the slope of the mountain which is known as the Leeward side. These dry winds travel further to reach the inland areas and create the Rain-shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the main sequence accurately: ocean winds move inland, rise over the windward slope, cool and form clouds, produce rain, and continue as dry air towards the inland desert. The distinction between the windward and leeward sides is also included, so the account is relevant and generally clear. However, some details are less fully or precisely reported. For example, “the air then descends down the slope” is not stated in the diagram, which says dry air continues over the mountain; likewise, “strong” winds and “high wind speed” are added rather than shown. The opening also lacks a concise overview of the overall cause-and-effect pattern. A more complete summary would foreground moisture loss on the windward side and the resulting dry conditions inland, while avoiding unsupported details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear sequence, moving from the initial winds to the formation of the desert, and the paragraph break separates the windward and leeward stages effectively. Connectors such as “First,” “As it travels up,” “This in turn,” and “As rain falls” help the reader follow the process. This gives the response a logical progression throughout. Some linking is slightly repetitive or conversational, particularly “as mentioned,” and the opening’s reference to “the first few steps” does not clearly preview the later stages. To make cohesion more flexible and precise, use transitions that explicitly show cause and result—for example, explain that rainfall removes moisture before the air continues inland—and ensure each reference clearly identifies the relevant air or mountain side.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The response uses a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “coastal,” “humidity,” “summit,” “moisture,” “Windward side,” and “Leeward side.” These terms help describe the stages and locations, and the meaning remains clear. There are, however, some imprecise or unnatural choices: “birthed” is an awkward way to describe desert formation, “dense in humidity” is not a natural collocation, and “ready to burst” is informal and overstates what the diagram shows. “High wind speed” is also an unsupported description rather than a useful label from the visual. More precise process language, such as “forms,” “moisture-laden air,” and “precipitation,” would improve accuracy and register. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate, with attempts at less common terms that are not always controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

There is a useful mix of simple and complex structures, including the causal construction “As it travels up, the air … cools down” and the sequence “As rain falls over the summit, the air loses its moisture.” Most sentences are understandable, and errors do not prevent the reader from following the process. Some grammatical control is less secure, however. In “The coastal winds have nowhere to go but up the mountains because of the high wind speed,” the causal relationship is awkwardly constructed, and “As it travels up” has an unclear pronoun reference after “winds.” The sentence “This part of the mountain where moist air rises up and cools down is called the Windward side” would be clearer with a relative clause such as “the side where…”. Aim for clearer references and more consistently controlled complex sentences.

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

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