Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-10

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 electricity is produced in many ways. Its just not one step process. There's a power plant called Geo thermal power plant. Its a five step process in which the electricty which daily use is produced. Its an old effecient and natural way of generating electricity. Basically the cold fresh water from flowing river or sea is pumped down to the injection well . Its approximately 4.5 kilometres deep.The water then flows to to the geothermal zone which are basically the hot rocks. Now the cold water is turned to hot water. It goes up from the production well to the condensor by pumped up method. The hot water condenses and turns into steam which goes into the turbine . The turbine starts to move becasue of hot flowing steam and then it goes into the generator powered by turbine which produces eletricity and from there it goes to the main grid.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You describe the main sequence from cold water being pumped underground to electricity being generated, and you correctly include the 4.5-kilometre depth and the roles of the injection and production wells. However, the response does not give a clear overview of the process as a whole, and some details are inaccurate or unsupported: the diagram does not say the water comes from a river or sea, nor that this is an old method. It also says the hot water “condenses,” whereas it is the water that is converted to steam in the condenser. The final connection is to a transmission pylon, not specifically the “main grid.” Focus on the diagram’s stated stages and summarise the overall transformation more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are mostly presented in the correct order, and sequencing expressions such as “then,” “now,” and “from there” help the reader follow the process. However, the response is written as one continuous paragraph, so the overview and the sequence are not clearly separated. Several transitions are repetitive, and some links between steps are unclear—for example, “The hot water condenses and turns into steam” does not clearly explain the change of state. The opening comments about electricity being produced in many ways and the method being old interrupt the process description rather than helping its progression. Organise the response into a brief overview followed by a logically connected account of the stages.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “injection well,” “geothermal zone,” “production well,” “turbine,” and “generator,” which allows the reader to identify the main components. However, the range is limited and some choices are imprecise or informal for an academic process description. “Hot flowing steam” is awkward, while “main grid” is not the label shown in the diagram. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “electricty,” “effecient,” “becasue,” and “eletricity,” which reduce accuracy. Use precise process verbs and standard technical terms consistently; for example, describe water as being heated underground and then converted into steam before it drives the turbine.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, such as “The turbine starts to move because of hot flowing steam and then it goes into the generator,” but most structures are simple or joined with “and” or “then.” Errors occur frequently enough to make parts less clear. Examples include “Its a five step process,” where the possessive form is needed, “the geothermal zone which are,” which has faulty agreement, and “It goes up from the production well to the condensor by pumped up method,” which has an incomplete grammatical construction. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and extra spaces around clauses. Practise accurate passive forms, such as “cold water is pumped down,” and vary sentence structures while checking agreement and punctuation.

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