Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-26
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)
Electricity is a very important and beneficial thing is our life. It is like the pillar of comfort for people. One of the way to produce it is by using geothermal energy.
Firstly,the cold water from a cold water reservoir is pumped down the ground around 4.5km. Then it is passed through the injection well. Inside the well, there are hot rocks also known as geothermal zone. When the water passed through them, it becomes hot. After that, it's time for the water to be pumped up through the production well.
After that the water entered the condenser where it is converted into steam.
The steam enters the turbine and by being powered bt the steam , the turbine rotates. Lastly, the generator generates the electricity.
This method is quite common for producing electricity. As, it is efficient,cheap and reliable. Many industries use this method for electricity production.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response makes an attempt to describe the process of generating electricity using geothermal energy, mentioning key features such as the 4.5km depth, the injection well, hot rocks, production well, condenser, turbine, and generator. However, the essay falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 148 words. Additionally, the introduction and conclusion contain irrelevant personal opinions and generalisations rather than an academic overview of the process. While the main steps are covered in sequence, the lack of an effective overview and the under-length penalty restrict the score to band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay uses some sequencing devices such as 'Firstly', 'Then', 'After that', and 'Lastly' to guide the reader through the stages of the diagram. However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with very short paragraphs that disrupt the natural flow of an academic report. There is also a lack of more sophisticated cohesive devices and referencing. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow the process, but the mechanical use of basic linkers and poor paragraph structure place this at band 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, with phrases like 'very important and beneficial thing' and 'One of the way'. The student attempts some subject-specific vocabulary from the prompt, such as 'geothermal energy', 'injection well', 'condenser', and 'generator', but word choice and collocation errors occur, such as 'pumped down the ground' instead of 'pumped down into the ground' and 'water entered' instead of 'water enters'. The lexical range is adequate for basic communication but lacks precision, warranting a band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response features a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout, including subject-verb agreement issues ('thing is our life', 'One of the way'), preposition errors ('down the ground'), and spelling/typographical errors ('bt' instead of 'by'). Punctuation is also faulty in places, such as missing spaces after commas ('Firstly,the'). While meaning is generally clear despite these errors, they occur with high frequency relative to the short text length, supporting a band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.