Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-12
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 the main steps of electricity production from geothermal energy in geothermal power plant.
Overall, the outlines show that geothermal power plant operates in two main zones and five different steps. Furthermore, step one, four and five take place on earth while step two and three under the surface of earth.
Regarding the operation of geothermal power plant, this process start with cold water pumped down about 4.5 km below the upper layer of earth into the injection well in stage 2. Meanwhile, water start flowing steady in geothermal zone to the production well in stage 3. Moreover, after stage 3 the hot water pumped up into condenser obove the surafce of earth. The condenser produce steam in stage 4, which passes through stage 5 and rotate the turbine, terbine rotate the generator and produce electricity. This electric current is transfered to tansformers and used for many households and industrial needs.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the main steps of electricity production from geothermal energy. The student provides a clear overview mentioning the two main zones and five steps, and accurately reports the progression from the initial cold water pumping to electricity generation. Key features such as the injection well, production well, condenser, turbine, and generator are all correctly identified and sequenced. Although some descriptions are slightly concise, the overall information is well-selected and presented, meeting the requirements for this task effectively without major omissions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text maintains a clear overall progression from the beginning to the end of the process. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', 'Meanwhile', and 'Moreover' are used to connect ideas and transition between steps. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, as the entire body of the report is clumped into a single overly long paragraph after the introduction. Referencing is generally clear, though minor improvements in paragraph structuring would elevate the organizational clarity.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a technical process, incorporating terms like 'injection well', 'production well', 'condenser', 'turbine', and 'generator'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'obove' instead of 'above', 'surafce' instead of 'surface', 'terbine' instead of 'turbine', and 'transfered' instead of 'transferred'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting to describe multi-stage mechanical processes. There are, however, several grammatical errors and omissions, such as missing articles ('start with cold water', 'into condenser', 'rotate turbine') and subject-verb agreement issues ('water start flowing'). Punctuation is also occasionally neglected. Despite these frequent minor slips, the meaning remains comprehensible, and the structures attempted demonstrate a basic control of grammar suitable for a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.