Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the formation of a rain-shadow desert on a mountain which generally takes place in 7 different steps.

The desert is formed on the inland area of a mountain which spreads on thousands of Kilometres starting from the Sea. The formation involves several steps initiating from the winds approaching the coast while ending on the dry winds that reaches the inland.

First of all the winds above the Sea approaches the coast and are pushed upward towards the top of the mountain. As it reaches the Windward side of mountain, the moist air rises and cools forming Clouds. These clouds causes Rain Falls at the tip of the mountain.

Subsequently, the dry air countinues to blow over mountain and approaches the Leeward side which is present opposite to the Windward side of the mountain. From there, it moves downward where dry air changes into dry wind finally reaching the Inland areas. The is called Inland area where Rain-shadow desert is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and it correctly identifies the windward and leeward sides and the inland location of the desert. The opening also gives a useful overview that the process has seven stages. Some details are less fully or precisely reported: the diagram shows clouds forming and rain falling above the windward slope and mountain peak, rather than specifically “at the tip,” and the description does not clearly explain that the air rises and cools before cloud formation. The claim that the mountain “spreads on thousands of kilometres” misinterprets the scale arrow, which indicates the horizontal distance shown, not the mountain’s size. More precise reporting of these features would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction and overview are followed by the stages before and after rainfall. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all” and “Subsequently” help the reader follow the process, and the paragraph break separates the two main phases. However, some links are mechanical, and a few references are unclear. For example, “From there” does not specify whether the air moves from the mountain or its leeward side, while “The is called Inland area” interrupts the progression and makes the final point difficult to follow. Grouping the stages more cleanly and using precise references to the air and mountain sides would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “approaching,” “pushed upward,” “moist air,” “Leeward side,” and “Rain-shadow desert.” These terms allow the main stages to be communicated, and some topic-specific language is used appropriately. However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise, such as “the desert … spreads on thousands of Kilometres” and “clouds causes Rain Falls”; the scale is not the desert’s spread, and the latter phrase is not a natural way to describe precipitation. “Countinues” is also misspelled, and inconsistent capitalisation of common nouns reduces accuracy. More precise process collocations and careful spelling would strengthen the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “while” and “as,” and the sequence is generally understandable. However, some grammatical errors recur in agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “the winds … approaches” and “These clouds causes” have subject–verb agreement errors; “As it reaches” has an unclear singular reference to plural winds, and “over mountain” needs an article or plural form. The final sentence, “The is called Inland area,” is incomplete and obscures the intended meaning. Greater control of agreement and articles, alongside proofreading of sentence boundaries, would make the description more accurate.

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