Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-30

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 4.5)

The diagram below shows how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.

Overall,of producing electricity is to add cold water and cold water is pumped down almost 4.5km.Injection well → sends the cooled water back into the underground reservoir.So the injection well does not usually produce electricity directly. It helps maintain the geothermal reservoir and makes the system more sustainable.A geothermal zone with hot rocks is an underground area where rocks have been heated by the Earth's internal heat.Yes. A production well is used to bring hot water or steam from underground to the surface in a geothermal power plant.So, the production well helps produce electricity by supplying the geothermal heat to the power plant.

After steam passes through the turbine and produces mechanical energy, it becomes low-pressure steam. The condenser cools this steam and turns it back into water.A turbine is a machine that converts the energy of a moving fluid (such as steam, water, or gas) into mechanical energy.A generator is a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe parts of the geothermal energy process, but it fails to provide a cohesive or complete summary of the main features shown in the diagram. Instead of describing the continuous cycle of water being pumped down, heated by rocks, and brought back up to generate electricity through a turbine and generator, the student includes conversational filler ("Yes.") and fragmented definitions of individual components (e.g., "A turbine is a machine that converts..."). Furthermore, the overview is incomplete and awkwardly phrased as "Overall,of producing electricity is to add cold water...". Because the response lacks a clear, structured overview of the entire process and fails to logically connect the stages shown in the visual data, it falls short of the requirements for higher bands, earning a band score of 4.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The organisation of the text is severely disrupted by disjointed paragraphs that read more like a glossary of terms than a process description. Sentences are abruptly strung together without logical transitional links, and some parts are formatted awkwardly with symbols like "Injection well → sends..." rather than proper prose. Paragraphing is poorly handled, dividing related procedural steps arbitrarily into separate blocks. Although there is some basic referencing, the overall lack of logical progression, overuse of isolated definitions, and absence of cohesive devices meant to guide the reader through a diagram cycle result in a weak structural flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is largely repetitive and relies heavily on direct lifting of terms from the prompt and diagram labels, such as "cold water", "injection well", "geothermal zone", "production well", and "turbine". While these technical terms are accurate to the diagram, their usage is mostly confined to defining the terms rather than explaining how they function within the process. There are basic vocabulary items used appropriately, but lexical range is limited, and there is no real attempt to employ less common or sophisticated vocabulary flexibly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures. Many sentences are awkwardly constructed or consist of isolated dictionary-style definitions (e.g., "A turbine is a machine that converts the energy..."). There are noticeable punctuation and spacing errors throughout the text, such as missing spaces after commas and periods (e.g., "Overall,of producing electricity", "reservoir.So the injection well"). While some simple sentences are grammatically acceptable, attempts at connecting clauses are clumsy, and the frequent structural awkwardness impedes smooth reading.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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