Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-15
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 demonstrated process chart depicts the information about the production of the electricity by using geothermal energy.
Overall, it is clear that this procedure contains mainly five crucial steps , if one stage is missed the whole process will be halted.
In the initial step, the stored cold water is pumped down toward the ground by 4.5 km underground pipe and after that the injection well takes this water to the geothermal zone where hot rocks are placed and then the hot water is pumped out before going through the production well .
Moving further, the hot water is gone to the condenser where it is converted into steam . Next to this , when this steam passed through the turbine it provides power to them to run and following this the generated power is run to the generator that produces the electricity which is powered by the turbines.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main stages of the geothermal energy process, but it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words. This under-length significantly impacts the development of the response, as the description of the final stages is somewhat rushed and lacks detail. While the overview is present, the summary of the process is incomplete in its depth. To improve, ensure that each stage of the diagram is described with sufficient detail to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive overview of the entire cycle.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is logically organized into paragraphs, moving from an introduction to the process steps. Cohesive devices such as 'In the initial step', 'Moving further', and 'Next to this' are used to guide the reader through the sequence. However, the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced, and the transition between the final steps is a bit mechanical. The overall progression is clear, but the lack of sufficient length makes the text feel somewhat disjointed in its conclusion. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'geothermal zone', 'injection well', and 'condenser' used correctly. However, there is a lack of variety and sophistication. Phrases like 'the hot water is gone to' are grammatically awkward and demonstrate limited control over collocations. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise verbs and technical vocabulary related to energy production, while ensuring that word choices are natural and contextually appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that affect clarity. For example, 'the hot water is gone to the condenser' is incorrect; it should be 'the hot water is sent to the condenser'. Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'the production of the electricity'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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