Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-20
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 6.0)
The diagram illustrates the process of how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity cleanly, sustainably and safely.
Overall, the process begins with cold water pumped down to 4.5km into the injection well and this process ends with generator (powered by turbine and produces electricity) and turbine (powered by steam). With the main features being cold water pumping down, hot water pumped up, condenser, generator and turbine.
Initially the process begins with cold water which is pumped down 4.5km from the injection well passing by geothermal zone (hot rocks), then passing through production well and hot water being pumped up to the condenser.
Following the condenser, it produces steam which is passed to turbine which is powered by steam and then, as it is connected with generator which is powered by turbine and produces electricity it reaches to the electric pole. This whole cycle/process is named as Geothermal power plant.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the geothermal process, including the injection well, the geothermal zone, the production well, and the conversion of steam into electricity. However, the summary is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the main stages are identified, the description of the 'condenser' and the transition to the turbine is slightly confusing, as the text implies the condenser produces steam, whereas the diagram shows steam being separated from the hot water. The response meets the minimum length requirement and provides a basic summary of the process, but it could be improved by better synthesizing the information rather than listing components.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an introduction to an overview and then into the process steps. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical, particularly the frequent use of 'the process begins with' and 'then'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'as it is connected with generator which is powered by turbine', which feels clunky and lacks smooth flow. Paragraphing is present, but the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be more sophisticated to improve the overall progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using technical terms like 'injection well', 'geothermal zone', and 'condenser' correctly. However, the range is limited, and there is a reliance on simple phrasing. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'reaches to the electric pole', which is not the most precise way to describe the distribution of electricity. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more varied verbs and nouns to describe the flow and transformation of energy, rather than repeating 'powered by' or 'pumped'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('with generator', 'with turbine') and awkward phrasing ('This whole cycle/process is named as Geothermal power plant'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the process, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. The sentence structure is often repetitive, relying on 'which is' clauses. Increasing the variety of sentence types and ensuring correct article usage would significantly improve the grammatical quality.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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