Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-17

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 provided diagram illustrates the process of producing a generated electricity utilizing geothermal energy.

Overall, the process consists of 5 distinct stages, beginning with plenty of cold water transported to soil. In the first stage, cold water are pumped down from under ground with 4.5 km distance. Next, cold water reaches a injection well to pass geothermal zone. After that, cold water passes through several hot rocks which located in a straight long site under the ground. These cold water are subsequently passed enomorous hot rocks and delivered to the production well. Following these steps, the cold water are changed in hot water and pumped up to condenser. Once condensed, the steam are produced by a condenser from hot water, becoming a main source to power a turbine. At this point, steam are added to turbine. Finally, the generator are activating and powered by turbine, enhancing a geothermal electricity which ready for distribution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies the main purpose of the diagram, which is to illustrate how geothermal energy generates electricity. The overview mentions that the process consists of five distinct stages, and the key steps—such as pumping cold water down to a depth of 4.5 km, passing through hot rocks in the geothermal zone, returning as hot water, producing steam via a condenser, and finally driving a turbine and generator—are generally reported. However, some parts of the description are a bit repetitive and imprecise regarding the mechanical transitions. Nevertheless, all major aspects of the prompt are covered, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged with an introductory sentence followed by a single block of body text. While sequence markers like 'In the first stage', 'Next', 'After that', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the process, the lack of paragraph breaks limits logical progression. The overall structure feels somewhat cramped as a single body paragraph. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'These cold water are subsequently passed enomorous hot rocks'. Cohesive devices are present but mechanical, placing this response at Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, featuring terms such as 'geothermal energy', 'injection well', 'condenser', 'turbine', and 'generator'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation issues throughout the text, such as 'generated electricity utilizing' instead of 'electricity generation using', 'transported to soil', and 'enhancing a geothermal electricity'. Spelling is mostly accurate, with a minor typo in 'enomorous' (enormous). The lexical range is sufficient for the task but shows limited control over less common phrasing, fitting Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical errors are frequent and noticeable. There are numerous subject-verb agreement errors, such as 'cold water are pumped' and 'the steam are produced', as water is an uncountable noun requiring singular verbs. Other errors include prepositions and participial forms, such as 'hot rocks which located' (omission of 'are') and 'the generator are activating'. These frequent errors occasionally cause minor difficulty for the reader, aligning the response with Band 5.0.

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