Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-02
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 how geothermal energy is converted into electricity in a power plant.
Overall the proccess has five stages in which the cold water is pumped down and turned into steam used to generate power and then cooled and reused.
At the first stage the cold water is pumped down approximetly to 4.5km in the ground, next stage the cold water into the injection well and heated with hot rocks and in the third stage the the production well pumpes the hot water up to the surface in to the power plant.
at the fourth stage the condenser is turned in to steam and sent to the tubine which is powered by steam,and in fifth stage the generator turns up the energy which is powered by turbine and produces the electricity this cycle repetas the whole process and retun to the cold water and generates the geothermal power plant.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview of the process and reporting the main stages, such as pumping cold water down to a depth of 4.5 km, heating it via geothermal rocks, and using the resulting steam to drive a turbine and generator. However, some aspects are under-developed or slightly inaccurate in detail, such as the statement that 'the condenser is turned in to steam', which misinterprets the function of the plant components shown in the diagram. While the key features are selected and reported, the lack of precision in describing the technical steps prevents a more complete development of the response.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows the chronological sequence of the diagram. The writer attempts to guide the reader using sequencing devices such as 'At the first stage', 'next stage', 'in the third stage', and 'at the fourth stage'. However, cohesion is at times faulty and mechanical, with run-on sentences and dense clauses that lack proper punctuation boundaries. For instance, the final sentence connects multiple stages together without clear pauses or referencing, making the progression difficult to follow in places. Paragraphing is also limited, as the entire body of the report is compressed into a single block alongside the introduction.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms related to the diagram such as 'geothermal energy', 'injection well', 'production well', 'condenser', and 'turbine'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('proccess', 'approximetly', 'tubine', 'repetas', 'retun') and inaccurate word choices or collocations, such as 'pumpes the hot water up' and 'the condenser is turned in to steam'. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they occur with enough frequency to highlight limitations in lexical precision and word-form control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in clause structure, missing prepositions, and run-on sentences, such as the long concluding sentence that links several clauses together without adequate punctuation. Other structural errors include missing articles and awkward phrasing like 'the cold water into the injection well and heated with hot rocks'. While these grammatical errors rarely obscure the overall meaning of the process entirely, they persist throughout the text and restrict the structural accuracy.
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