Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-01
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 given picture illustrates that how underground thermal energy is used to produce electricity.
This diagram shows that how water convert into electrical power with in few steps. At the first, cold water is used for this process and then liquid goes down with help of pump and converted into hot water, this process called Geothermal zone (hot rocks) having two process, the first one is injection well and second production well.
Afterwards, when hot water pumped up into condenser it will converted into steam. This hot air is used to produce Geothermal generated electricity, turbine is moving with help of steam and generator use this power to produce power supply. At the end, the whole electrical energy moving to tower. Overall, the whole graph displays how water is converted into geothermal energy, this is the basic structure of Geothermal power plant that is used almost everywhere that is provide Geothermal generated electricity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main stages of the geothermal process, such as the injection well, production well, and the role of the turbine and generator. However, the description is somewhat superficial and lacks a clear overview of the process as a whole. The summary of the diagram is basic, and some technical details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly phrased, such as the description of the 'Geothermal zone'. To improve, you should focus on clearly identifying the sequence of events and highlighting the key transformations (e.g., cold water to steam) more precisely. The response meets the minimum length requirement, but the depth of analysis needs to be increased to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward, such as 'At the first' and 'At the end'. The logical progression between sentences is sometimes interrupted by grammatical errors, making the flow feel slightly disjointed. While the overall structure is logical, the transitions between the stages of the geothermal process could be smoother and more varied to improve the coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'this process called' and 'the whole graph displays' are functional but lack the precision expected in an academic report. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'hot air' to describe steam, which is scientifically imprecise. To improve, you should incorporate more specific terminology related to energy production and avoid repeating simple verbs like 'produce' or 'converted' multiple times. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and nouns will help convey information more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'illustrates that how', 'water convert into', and 'generator use this power'. There are also issues with article usage and verb tense consistency (e.g., 'it will converted'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms would significantly improve the quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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