Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-25
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 the process to produce electricity through geothermal energy.
At a fleeting glance, it is clear that there are 5 stages involved in this process. The process begins with cold water pumped around 4.5 km down to the injection well which is connected to one end of geothermal hot rocks. The another half of this zone linked with the production well. The cold water allowed to pass through geothermal zone from the injection well to the production well to convert it into hot.
Observing further, at the third stage, when hot water pumped 4.5km up to condenser, hot water converts into steam. At the next stage, the steam produced in condenser facilitate to rotate the turbine. When turbine gets power, it produces electricity in the last stage which further supplied to homes through the towers.
Conclude it all, Thus the process of generating electricity through geothermal power plant is performed
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student attempts to cover the main stages of the geothermal energy process, mentioning the injection well, depth of 4.5 km, hot rocks, production well, condenser, turbine, and generator. However, the overview and summary are weak and somewhat garbled at the end ('Conclude it all, Thus the process...'). Furthermore, there are some minor inaccuracies in mapping out the exact sequence from the visual data, such as stating that the hot water converts into steam directly in the condenser before the turbine, whereas the diagram shows steam emerging from the condenser to power the turbine. Nevertheless, the main features of the process are identified, satisfying the baseline requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is organized into paragraphs, attempting an introductory sentence, body development, and a concluding remark. However, the logical progression is hindered by awkward transitions and poor cohesion. Phrases like 'At a fleeting glance' and 'Observing further' feel unnatural and mechanical. The final concluding sentence is grammatically incomplete and fails to synthesize the main trends or steps effectively. Referencing and linking within sentences are also occasionally faulty, as seen in 'The another half of this zone linked with the production well,' which lacks a verb and disrupts the flow. Cohesion is rated at a Band 5.0 due to these noticeable disruptions.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student attempts some less common vocabulary items related to the process, such as 'injection well', 'geothermal zone', 'condenser', and 'generator'. However, there are frequent lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'process to produce' instead of 'process of producing', 'cold water pumped' missing necessary passive or active markers, and 'facilitate to rotate' instead of 'helps to rotate' or 'drives'. Word formation errors are also present, such as 'Conclude it all'. The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but the errors in collocation and phrasing constrain the score to a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is quite low. There are frequent missing verbs, articles, and prepositions throughout the text. For example, 'The another half of this zone linked with the production well' lacks a finite verb, and 'The cold water allowed to pass' misses the auxiliary verb 'is'. Other errors include 'hot water converts into steam' and the run-on concluding sentence. While simple sentences are generally understandable, attempts at more complex constructions frequently result in grammatical errors that cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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