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 diagram depicts that how electricity is produced using geothermal energy.
Overall, the process of making electricity occurs in gerotheral power plant, where it takes almost five step to generate the electricity from the cold water. First, cold water is passed through injection well and production well from where, it passes through condenser and eventually to the generator for production of the electricity.
The process of electricity production by geothermal plant is quite simple procedure. Electricity is produced using cold water that is pumped down almost 4.5 km deep into a injection well. The water from injection well passes through geothermal zone of hot rocks to the production well. The hot water is pushed up from the production well into the condenser.
Concurrently, steam starts to produce from water in the condenser. After that, steam turns turbinr on at the same time, urbine starts initiating the generator that produces that finaly produces electricity. After the electricity is generated it is available to supply for use.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all the main parts of the task by outlining the process of electricity generation using geothermal energy, satisfying the 150-word requirement with a total of 165 words. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, stating that the process takes about five steps and summarizing the main stages from cold water to the generator. Key features such as the 4.5 km depth and the underground heating through hot rocks are correctly reported. However, some details are slightly inaccurate or over-simplified in sequence (e.g., placing the condenser before the steam generation incorrectly, and minor mechanical progression issues). Overall, the response addresses the prompt adequately and presents a clear summary of the diagram, though the development of some technical steps lacks full precision.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement and is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing the stages. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'First', 'The water from injection well', 'Concurrently', and 'After that'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, expressions like 'The diagram depicts that how electricity is produced' contain awkward phrasing, and the transition between sentences can feel abrupt. Paragraphing is generally sufficient and appropriate for a short process description, but the logical flow between the condenser and turbine stages is slightly muddled.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms relevant to the diagram such as 'geothermal energy', 'injection well', 'production well', 'hot rocks', 'condenser', 'turbine', and 'generator'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'gerotheral' instead of 'geothermal', 'turbinr' and 'urbine' instead of 'turbine', and 'finaly' instead of 'finally'. Grammatical article errors also appear, such as 'into a injection well' instead of 'into an injection well'. While these lexical and mechanical errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Electricity is produced using cold water that is pumped down almost 4.5 km deep into a injection well.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including 'The diagram depicts that how electricity is produced' (incorrect embedded question structure), 'takes almost five step' (pluralization error), and 'steam starts to produce' (voice/tense inaccuracy). Punctuation and articles show frequent minor slips. Despite these errors, the sentences remain comprehensible and communication is rarely impeded, reflecting the characteristics of Band 5.5 to 6.0 grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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