Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The diagram describes the way of electricity production by the use of grothermal energy.

Overall, the process of creating electricty out of geothermal energy consists of five stages. Where you start from cold water and get the electric power as the end product.

Firstly, the cold water is pumped 4.5 km underground, from where, the sencond stage starts. It go through the injection well to the geo thermal zone, which consist of hot rocks and transformed into heated water which is pumped up from the production well in the third step.

After cold water turned into hot water, there is a condenser in the surface above the production well, where steam is collected from the high temprature water.In the last stage the hot air traveld through the pipe towards a turbine and spin it with it's force, that rotation of turbine is connected with generator which produce the electricity, then it is passed to use through the towers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from cold water being pumped underground to electricity generation, and you identify the injection well, hot-rock zone, production well, condenser, turbine and generator. The overview also recognises the process as a series of stages. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the water is heated as it passes through the geothermal zone, rather than being “transformed” there without explanation, and the condenser produces steam; the diagram does not show steam being collected. Calling the final output “hot air” is also inaccurate, since it is steam that drives the turbine. The overview could more clearly summarise the key transformation from cold water to steam and then electricity.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the process in sequence. Time and sequence markers such as “Firstly,” “in the third step” and “In the last stage” help the reader follow the stages. However, some connections are awkward or unclear. The overview fragment beginning “Where you start…” does not connect grammatically to the preceding sentence, and “from where, the second stage starts” makes the sequence harder to follow. The final sentence also combines several actions without clear breaks. Use complete sentences and divide the later stages into clearer units, while keeping the chronological order.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “injection well,” “production well,” “condenser,” “turbine” and “generator,” which helps communicate the diagram’s main components. There is also some attempt at more specific language, such as “pumped” and “rotation.” However, several word choices or collocations are imprecise: “hot air” should be “steam,” “towers” is less accurate than “transmission lines” or “pylon,” and “spin it with its force” is not a natural way to describe the turbine being driven by steam. Spelling errors such as “grothermal,” “electricty,” “sencond” and “temprature” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise technical terms and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “the geothermal zone, which consist of hot rocks” and a sequence of linked actions in the final sentence. The main process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “Where you start from cold water…” is a sentence fragment, “It go” lacks subject–verb agreement, and “which consist” should agree with the singular noun “zone.” The final sentence has several clauses joined without adequate punctuation, and “which produce the electricity” also has an agreement error. Practise complete sentence structures, consistent subject–verb agreement and punctuation when describing several stages.

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