Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The diagram demonstrates the process by which geothermal energy is utilized for the production of electricity.
Overall, this is a linear diagram which contains five different sections through which electricity is generated. At the beginning cold water is taken towards the injection well. After passing some sections it ends at generator which is powered by turbines which produces electricity.
Initially, cold water pass through the a 4.5km deep path where the injection well is located. After that it folllows a pathway which is full of hot rocks called geothermal zone, by passing from this way water became hot. This ia a straight path which leads towards the production well.
After arriving at the production well the boiling water pumped up and placed in a condenser where this hot water is converted into steams. After that steam is transfered towards turbine. Consequently steam moves to the direction of generator which is powered by turbine. The generator produces electricity which is then utilize from electric pole.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses the prompt by describing the main features of the geothermal energy production process, as seen in phrases like 'cold water pass through the a 4.5km deep path' and 'hot water is converted into steams'. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, outlining the linear nature of the diagram and the five main sections. However, some stages are slightly imprecise or conflated—for instance, stating that the water becomes hot simply by passing through the geothermal zone without clearly explaining that it is pumped down and back up via injection and production wells in a continuous loop. Furthermore, minor mechanical details are missed. Nevertheless, the response covers all parts of the visual data adequately, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is organized into four paragraphs, following a logical progression from introduction to overview, body paragraph one, and body paragraph two. Cohesive devices and sequence markers are used throughout, such as 'Overall', 'At the beginning', 'Initially', 'After that', and 'Consequently'. However, some cohesive relationships are slightly mechanical or repetitive ('After that', 'After arriving'), and referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'utilize from electric pole' at the very end. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and individual stages of the process, ensuring the response is coherent overall. This aligns well with the requirements for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts at process-specific terminology such as 'geothermal energy', 'injection well', 'production well', 'condenser', 'turbine', and 'generator'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'steams' instead of 'steam', 'transfered towards turbine', and 'utilize from electric pole' instead of supplied to an electricity transmission pylon. Word formation errors also occur, such as 'became hot' instead of 'becomes hot' and 'folllows' with a spelling error. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but inaccuracies in word choice restrict the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. Examples include relative clauses ('which is powered by turbines') and temporal clauses. However, there is a high frequency of grammatical and mechanical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('cold water pass' instead of 'passes', 'water became' instead of 'becomes'), missing articles ('ends at generator', 'passed through the a'), preposition misuse ('pass through the a 4.5km deep path'), and spelling mistakes ('folllows', 'ia', 'transfered'). These errors require some effort from the reader to interpret, although they do not completely impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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