Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-16

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 4.5)

Geothermal energy is one of the natural source of energy. And as it is natural so its not mean to get it easily. This whole matter involve in total five processes that combined to give energy. First is about to inject cold water into the injection well. This injection well is of hot rocks that supposed to instant heating of the cold water and as a result steam produced. The heating of this cold water is includes in step two. Futher that, this steam sents upwards through a chamber of tunnel like so that to use this steam effectively. At upwards, this steam is collected in a box liked chamber called condensor. Here is the step four involves steam injection, through a narrow tube or piped liked sturucted steam injected so that this steam becomes able to hit tthe turbines and forced them to turning. And finally at last, when this steam hits it moves the turbines of generator and as result this generator able to produce electicity, which then transfer through mode of wires supported by towers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the five-stage process of generating electricity using geothermal energy, making reference to key features such as the injection well, hot rocks, production well, condenser, and turbine. However, the task achievement is hindered by inaccuracies in describing the sequence and mechanics. For instance, the text claims that 'this injection well is of hot rocks that supposed to instant heating', misinterpreting the 4.5 km depth and the horizontal passage through the geothermal zone. Furthermore, there is no distinct overview paragraph provided, which is a key requirement for Academic Task 1. While the main steps are broadly identified, the response falls short of a fully developed or well-supported report, resulting in a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The response suffers from significant structural and cohesive deficiencies. Crucially, the text is written as a single, dense block of writing without any paragraph breaks to guide the reader through the distinct stages of the process. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as 'Futher that' and 'And finally at last', which creates a mechanical and repetitive reading experience. While there is a chronological progression from injection to electricity generation, the lack of paragraphing and poor management of referencing (e.g., 'At upwards, this steam is collected...') prevents the progression from being clear and logical throughout, aligning with a Band 4.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is basic, repetitive, and often unnatural. The student relies heavily on simple terms and informal phrasing, such as 'box liked chamber' instead of condenser or container, and 'pipe liked sturucted'. There are numerous word-choice and collocation errors throughout the text, including 'natural source of energy', 'its not mean to get it easily', and 'steam sents upwards'. Although the subject-specific terms from the diagram (e.g., turbine, generator, condenser) are partially utilised, the restricted range and frequent errors in lexical control constrain the score to a Band 4.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response, with frequent errors that occasionally impede understanding. The text contains numerous sentence structure errors, such as fragments and run-on constructions (e.g., 'And as it is natural so its not mean to get it easily'). There are persistent tense and morphology issues, including 'steam produced' (missing auxiliary), 'this heating of this cold water is includes', and 'generator able to produce electicity'. Complex sentence forms are rarely attempted successfully, and punctuation is rudimentary. The high frequency of grammatical inaccuracies places this performance firmly in the Band 4.0 category.

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

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