Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-28
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 the production of electric current by using Geothemal energy.
In Geothermal electricity generation, cold water is used which is pumped down through injection well into geothermal zone, it will cause hotness of water. This hot water pumped upward to the condenser, steam produced in condenser which is further utilized to run the turbines that in return provide power to generator for electricity generation.
Cold water is pumped downward by a 4.5km pipe into injection well; which push this water into hot rocks underground called Geothermal zone. This zone is responsibe for hotness of water, which is further pumped upward into condenser. The function of condenser is to provide steam after condensation of water for turbine movement, the turbine moves clockwise to generate power. That power is used to run generators connected to it. These generators than provide electric current to city grid lines.
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 the main stages of the geothermal energy production process, from pumping cold water down through the 4.5km injection well to generating electricity. An overview is attempted in the introduction, though it is rather brief. Key features such as the geothermal zone, the production well, the condenser, and the turbine are mentioned. However, the response falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 146 words, which impacts the overall Task Achievement score under IELTS guidelines.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text has a coherent overall arrangement, following the chronological order of the process diagram. However, paragraphing is somewhat repetitive and disjointed, with the writer splitting the text into an introduction and two single-sentence or short paragraphs, including one awkward block of text. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes mechanical (e.g., 'which is further utilized', 'That power is used'). Referencing is mostly clear, but the flow is occasionally interrupted by abrupt transitions between sentences.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating specific terms from the diagram such as 'geothermal zone', 'injection well', 'condenser', and 'turbine'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'hotness of water' instead of 'heating of the water' or 'water temperature', and 'responsibe' (spelling error). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited precision, resulting in a Band 6 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The diagram illustrates the production of electric current by using Geothemal energy.' and relative clauses ('water is used which is pumped down'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation slips, including missing articles ('through injection well'), comma splices ('geothermal zone, it will cause'), and awkward passive constructions ('cold water is used which is pumped down'). These errors occasionally cause minor difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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