Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-03

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 6.0)

The illustration depicts all the stages of electricity production, using geothermal energy.

Overall, the process consists of five steps. From storage of cold water to generation of electricity. The generated electricty is supplied to transformer, which is then supplied to homes and factories for usage.

Intially, from a storage cold water is pumped down around 4.5 kilometres, below the earth's surface. The injection well pulls the water, which goes through the hot rocks, in the geothermal zone. Then, supplied to the production well, this hot water in pumped into the condenser.

Subsequently, after all this underground process, the hot water inside in the condenser is turned into steam. This steam powers the turbine to spin which powers the generator to work. The generator produces electricity with the power that is provided by turbine. Lastly, all of this electricity goes to a transfomer from the generator through a wire. It is then provided to houses, hospitals, offices and different places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all major stages of the geothermal electricity production process, meeting the word count requirement and presenting a clear overall progression. The writer identifies key steps such as pumping cold water down the 4.5-kilometre injection well, passing it through hot rocks in the geothermal zone, pumping it back up via the production well, turning it into steam in the condenser, and driving the turbine and generator. However, the response leans towards a slightly descriptive approach rather than fully extending every comparison or relationship shown in the diagram. Some details, such as the exact mechanism of the transmission to homes and factories, are slightly generalized. To achieve a higher band, the response would need to integrate the data more tightly, highlighting key features and relationships with greater precision and depth throughout all stages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The report presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical sequence that mirrors the stages of the diagram from start to finish. Paragraphing is utilized to separate the introduction and overview from the detailed body steps, establishing a clear progression. Cohesive devices such as 'Intially', 'Subsequently', and 'Lastly' are employed to guide the reader through the cycle. However, some mechanical cohesion and referencing issues surface, notably in phrasing like 'from a storage cold water is pumped down' and fragmented sentence structures like 'From storage of cold water to generation of electricity.' To progress further, the text would benefit from smoother transitions between sentences and more precise referencing to ensure the flow of information remains entirely natural and unobtrusive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic technical terms such as 'injection well', 'production well', 'condenser', 'turbine', and 'generator'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary items and subject-specific terminology. Nevertheless, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, as seen in 'from a storage cold water is pumped down' (missing noun), 'hot water in pumped' (spelling error), and 'transfomer' (spelling error). These lexical slips do not impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the process easily. To reach a higher band, the writer must expand the range of vocabulary, improve word forms and collocations, and eliminate spelling errors entirely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use relative clauses and participial phrases, such as 'The generated electricty is supplied to transformer, which is then supplied to homes and factories'. There are several grammatical errors present, including missing articles ('to transformer'), punctuation issues with introductory adverbials ('Intially'), and slight structural awkwardness ('this hot water in pumped into the condenser'). These errors represent typical weaknesses where complex sentence attempts contain flaws, yet they rarely impede overall communication. To move up to the next band, the writer needs to produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences and demonstrate tighter control over articles, prepositions within grammatical patterns, and punctuation.

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

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