Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-21

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 diagram illustrates how electricity can be produced from geothermal energy.

Overall, generating electricity from geothermal power plant goes through 5 main stages ( cold water, the injection well, the production well, condenser and turbine). Starting from the pumping of cold water 4.5 kilometres underground and ending with generation of electricity by a turbine-powered generator. The water is heated by hot rocks beneath the Earth's surface before being converted into steam

First, cold water is pumped down to a depth of 4.5 kilometres through injection well. Then, it goes through geothermal zone which consist of hot rocksk to heat the water. The hot water's then enters the production well whic is pumped hot water into the surface. Then, it enters a condenser with is converted into steam that rotated the turbine.The powered by turbine and produces electricity that then connected to the wire distributores

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all the main stages of the geothermal energy production process, from pumping cold water underground to generating electricity at the surface. An overview is successfully provided in the introduction and second paragraph, outlining the five main stages. Key features such as the depth of 4.5 kilometres, the geothermal zone, the condenser, and the turbine generator are correctly reported and compared in sequence. However, because the response falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement at 144 words, a penalty must be applied under the IELTS marking guidelines, preventing the score from reaching a higher band. Despite this minor length issue, the content itself accurately reflects the provided visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently, with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph detailing the process steps in chronological order. Logical connectors such as 'Overall', 'Starting from', 'First', 'Then', and 'Afterwards' are used to guide the reader through the cycle. However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with a very short second paragraph and a dense final paragraph. Cohesive devices are occasionally mechanical or misused, as seen in 'The hot water's then enters the production well whic is pumped hot water into the surface' and 'condenser with is converted into steam'. Referencing and linking errors slightly disrupt the overall flow, placing this text firmly in the band 6 category for cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a technical process, incorporating terms such as 'geothermal energy', 'injection well', 'condenser', 'turbine', and 'generator'. There are, however, several noticeable lexical errors and awkward word formations, such as 'which consist of hot rocksk', 'whic is pumped hot water into the surface', and 'wire distributores'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they demonstrate limited control over less common vocabulary and word forms, reflecting a typical band 6 performance in lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The diagram illustrates how electricity can be produced from geothermal energy' and 'The water is heated by hot rocks beneath the Earth's surface before being converted into steam.' However, there are frequent grammatical inaccuracies and awkward syntactic structures in the final paragraph, including missing auxiliary verbs, incorrect relative clauses ('condenser with is converted into steam'), and spelling/typographical errors ('rocksk'). While complex structures are attempted, the frequency of errors in the second half of the essay prevents the grammar score from rising above band 5.5.

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

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