Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-27
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 illustrates how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.
Overall, there are five stages. How geothermal energy is used to produced electricity. It starts from cold water and ending with electricity generation.
Firstly, cold water is collected in a tank and then pumped down 4.5 km through the injection well. Once it reaches the bottom, throw the water by geothermal zone to make hot rocks. In this zone, the cold water is heated and becomes hot water.
Following that, the hot water pumped up to the surface through the production well. It the enters the condenser which is it converted into steam. Then after, the steam powered turbine which in turn powers the generator. The generator produces electricity which is finally transmitted via a high voltage pylon.
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 student successfully identifies the main stages of the geothermal energy process, covering the cold water tank, the 4.5 km injection well, the geothermal zone, the production well, the condenser, the turbine, and the generator. An overview is attempted at the beginning ("there are five stages"), but it is slightly fragmented. The most significant issue is that the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 129 words. This negative impact on length restricts the fullness of the description and requires a downward adjustment in the task achievement score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically following the chronological sequence of the process. Cohesive devices such as "Firstly", "Once", and "Following that" are used to guide the reader through the stages. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, with multiple distinct ideas crammed into single blocks. Furthermore, referencing and transitional phrases occasionally falter, such as "It the enters the condenser which is it converted into steam" and "Then after", which create mechanical links rather than smooth transitions.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range related to the diagram, successfully using terms like "geothermal zone", "injection well", "production well", "condenser", "turbine", and "generator". However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors, such as "How geothermal energy is used to produced electricity" (fragment/tense error) and "throw the water by geothermal zone". Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision or accurate phrasing, placing this firmly in the band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures attempted, such as "Once it reaches the bottom, throw the water by geothermal zone..." and "The generator produces electricity which is finally transmitted via a high voltage pylon." However, grammar and punctuation errors are frequent enough to detract from the reading experience, including fragment sentences ("How geothermal energy is used to produced electricity."), missing auxiliary verbs ("the hot water pumped up"), and incorrect prepositional or participial usage. Complex structures often contain faults.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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