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 process of electricity production through geothermal energy.
Overall, it can be seen that it is a man-made process and there are five stages. The process is about producing electricity. The process starts with cold water collection and end with the production of electricty through generator.
In the begining, the cold water is collected and pumped down about 4.5 kilometres deep below the earth through the injection well, where it passes through the geothermal zone. In the geothermal zone there are hot rocks are available to made the water hot. Then the hot water is pumped up 4.3 kilometres through the production well.
In the fourth stage, hot water's steams collected in the condenser, then the steam passes through narrow pipe and reached in turbine which is powered by steam. After that, steam reached in the generator which is powered by turbine and it produces the electricity to distribute it among the public.
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 all the main stages of the geothermal energy production process, successfully identifying the key components such as the injection well, geothermal zone, production well, condenser, turbine, and generator. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, outlining that it is a man-made five-stage process. However, there are minor inaccuracies in the reported data; for instance, the student states the hot water is pumped up '4.3 kilometres', whereas the diagram notes a depth of 4.5 km for the injection well and does not specify 4.3 km for the return. Furthermore, some parts are slightly under-developed, but overall the task is adequately addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall progression, moving logically from the introduction to the beginning of the process, and finally to the subsequent stages. Paragraphing is utilised to separate the introduction, overview, and body steps. However, cohesive devices and transitions are occasionally repetitive or mechanical, such as 'In the begining' and 'In the fourth stage'. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical links between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate process-related terms lifted or adapted from the prompt, such as 'injection well', 'geothermal zone', 'condenser', and 'turbine'. There are some noticeable lexical and spelling errors, such as 'begining' instead of 'beginning', 'electricty', and the awkward phrase 'hot rocks are available to made the water hot'. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('turbine which is powered by steam'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense and verb form issues ('end with', 'to made the water hot', 'hot water's steams collected', 'reached in turbine'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical inaccuracies are common enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5 or 7.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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