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 presents how process of how geothermal energy is used to manufacture electricity.

Overall, there are 5 stages involved in the geothermal energy of electric produce, starting with cold water been pumped down, and to the production well where hot water were pumped up and the to the final stage where generator powered by turbine and produce electricity and the transfer it to the pole.

Stage one, cold water where pumped down and it travelled for 4.5 km before it reached to the injection well and spread throughout the Geothermal zone ( hot rocks), and then to the production well when hot water pumped up to condenser.

In condenser, the water where turn into steam, and the steam passed through the funel to the final stage which were generator turbine. Here, it was power by steam where it was moved and was powered by turbine and produce electricity and then transfered it to pole by wire.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all the main stages of the geothermal energy production process, from pumping cold water down the 4.5 km injection well to the generation and transmission of electricity. An overview is attempted in the second sentence, outlining the general flow of the process. However, some key features and connections are slightly confused or imprecise, such as describing the condenser as the place where 'water where turn into steam' instead of tracking the phase change through the production well and condenser accurately. While the main steps are identified, the development and precision fall somewhat short of a Band 7 level, earning a 6.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is organized into distinct paragraphs separating the introduction, overall summary, and detailed steps. However, the logical progression is hindered by frequent structural awkwardness and repetitive linking. Cohesive devices are mechanically applied or misused, as seen in phrases like 'Stage one, cold water where pumped down and...' and 'and the to the final stage'. Paragraphing is present, but referencing and flow are sometimes unclear, making it occasionally difficult to follow the precise sequence of operations. This performance aligns best with Band 5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for describing a basic technical process, incorporating relevant terms such as 'geothermal zone', 'injection well', 'production well', 'condenser', and 'generator'. However, there is a very limited range of more sophisticated vocabulary, and frequent word-choice and morphological errors are present, such as 'electric produce' instead of 'electricity production', 'been pumped' instead of 'being pumped', and 'funel' instead of 'funnel'. These lexical slips and repetitive phrasing restrict the score to a Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text demonstrates an attempt at a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but it is heavily impacted by persistent grammatical errors. There are numerous tense and agreement errors throughout, such as 'cold water where pumped down', 'hot water were pumped up', and 'the water where turn into steam'. Punctuation is basic, and run-on sentences with repetitive conjunctions ('and') reduce clarity. Because errors occur frequently and affect readability, the appropriate descriptor level is Band 5.

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