Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-11

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 process chart illustrates how geothermal energy is used to produce electrical energy with the help of water.

Overall,the whole process consist of five main stages beginning with pressing the cold water underground and ending with generating electricity produced by a generator.The earth uses heat from earth interior to turn water in stream.

At first,the cold water is compressed down into the depth of 4.5 km into an injection well. At this depth the water passes through a geothermal zone where hot rocks helps to heat the water.

Next, the water is pumped upward through a production well where it reaches to condenser and converted into a steam, The steam subsequently directed the turbine, causing the turbine to spin.

Finally,the spinning turbines powers a generator, The generator produces electricity.Thus the geothermal heat is converted into electrical energy through a whole combination of underground heating,steam production and also the mechanical movement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key stages of the geothermal energy production process, from the injection of cold water to the final generation of electricity. The overview is clear and identifies the main stages effectively. However, there are some inaccuracies in the description of the process; for instance, the text mentions the water is 'converted into a steam' at the condenser, whereas the diagram indicates the steam is produced in the geothermal zone and the condenser is used later to turn steam back into water. While the main features are reported, the lack of precision regarding the technical flow slightly limits the development of the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that follow the chronological order of the process. Cohesive devices such as 'At first', 'Next', 'subsequently', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the stages. However, paragraphing is somewhat inconsistent, as the second paragraph is quite short and the transition between the final steps could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are slightly disjointed due to punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after commas and periods.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using technical terms like 'geothermal zone', 'injection well', 'production well', and 'generator'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'turn water in stream' (should be 'into steam') and 'the steam subsequently directed the turbine' (should be 'is directed at'). While the range is sufficient to describe the process, it lacks the sophistication required for a higher band, and some phrasing is slightly unnatural or repetitive.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the earth interior', 'the depth of 4.5 km') and verb forms ('hot rocks helps', 'the steam subsequently directed'). Punctuation is also a recurring issue, with several instances of missing spaces after punctuation marks, which affects the overall readability. While these errors do not prevent the meaning from being understood, they occur frequently enough to keep the score in the 6.0 range.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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