Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The diagram illustartes the process of generating electricity by using geothermal energy.
Overall, this process included five stages: cold water, the injection well, the production well, condenser, turbine, and generator.
Firstly, this process is started by cold water. The cold water pumped down to 1.5km in earth and it reached on the second stage " The injection well ". Now, it passed through the hot rockets and during this process the cold water converted into hot water.And it reached at the third stage" The production well". Then, the hot water pumped up into the condensor.
When it reached at condensor, a condensor converted it into the steam. This steam shifted on next stage. At next stage, the turbine produce power with the assistance of steam and turbine provided this power to generator. Then generater powered by turbine and produce electricity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarise the diagram showing how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity. However, the length requirement of 150 words is not met, as the student's response contains only 140 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. Furthermore, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data: the student states the cold water is pumped down to '1.5km', whereas the diagram clearly indicates a depth of '4.5 km'. The overview lists items rather than summarising the main stages cohesively, and the details regarding the geothermal zone ('hot rockets' instead of hot rocks) show some misinterpretation of the visual data. While the main steps of the process are touched upon, the lack of word count and factual inaccuracies limit the score to a 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has some organisation with chronological sequencing words such as 'Firstly', 'Now', and 'Then'. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, with overly short and fragmented paragraphs that hinder clear progression. The overview sentence is weak, merely listing a disjointed set of nouns ('cold water, the injection well, the production well, condenser, turbine, and generator') rather than outlining the overarching stages of the process. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the transition between sentences describing the condenser. Overall arrangement displays basic coherence, aligning with the descriptors for a band 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for describing a process, incorporating terms directly from the diagram such as 'injection well', 'production well', 'condenser', and 'turbine'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward word choices, including spelling mistakes like 'illustartes' and 'generater', as well as misread terms like 'hot rockets' instead of hot rocks. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying heavily on simple, repetitive phrasing with little demonstration of less common lexical items or flexibility in paraphrasing. Consequently, the lexical resource is restricted, though communication of the basic steps is mostly maintained.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical and mechanical errors, such as missing articles and prepositions ('pumped down to 1.5km in earth', 'reached at condensor'), incorrect verb forms ('a condensor converted it into the steam'), and awkward passives ('generater powered by turbine'). Punctuation and capitalisation errors are also present. While the meaning can generally be parsed despite these flaws, the high frequency of errors prevents the response from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.