Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-13

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 illustrates that the process of geothermal energy to used to produce the electricity.

Overall it displays that the production of electricity by geothermal energy has taken the five main steps.

Here the process starts with the first step, the cold water. The water can flow from a 4.5 kilometer long tunnel with the help of water pump. Cold water from the tunnel enter's the injection well that is the second step of this process. Then Cold water when reached the injection well it moves to a geothermal zone which contain hot rocks and after that it reached a point that named the production well and its third step.

After this process it pumped upward to the condenser,here the condenser convert it into steam and through this steam to the turbine. At that point the condenser is the 4th and step of this proceed and the 5th step that's turbine is also powered by steam which come from the condenser. And finally after that the generator which powered by turbine can produce electricity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the geothermal energy process, but the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview of the system's function. While the steps are identified, the explanation of how the components interact is occasionally confusing, such as the description of the condenser's role, which is technically inaccurate based on the diagram provided. The response would benefit from a more cohesive summary of the energy conversion process rather than simply listing steps. The inclusion of specific details like the 4.5km tunnel is good, but the overall synthesis of the information is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. While transition words like 'then', 'after that', and 'finally' are used, they are often repetitive and used in a mechanical way. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the relationship between the condenser, steam, and turbine is muddled. The paragraphing is present but does not effectively group the stages of the process in a logical, thematic way, which hinders the overall flow of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There is significant repetition of basic terms like 'process', 'step', and 'water'. Some word choices are awkward or incorrect, such as 'proceed' used instead of 'process' and 'that named' instead of 'which is named'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and the student struggles to use technical terminology accurately to describe the mechanical components shown in the diagram. More precise verbs and nouns related to energy production would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('enter's', 'steam... which come'), incorrect verb tenses, and awkward sentence structures ('the process of geothermal energy to used to produce'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and unnecessary capitalization. While the student attempts some complex sentences, they are often poorly constructed, leading to confusion. A greater focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for agreement and tense consistency is necessary.

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