Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-07

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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates the process of producing electricity with geothermal energy. Overall, the process consists of five stages. It starts with pumping cold water underground and ends at electricity being supplied to power grid. The most important stage of the process is when the turbine starts spining by the steam power and provides power to the generator to produce electricity.

First, cold water is pushed 4.5 km underground with the help of the injection well, then the water flows through the Geothermal zone, which consists of hot rocks, which warms the water as it flowa through it, then the hot water is pumped up by the production well into the condenser.

Subsequently, the condenser turns the hot water into steam and this steam powers the turbine, which starts spining and produces power. The generator attached to the turbine starts producing electricity by the power of the turbine. Lastly, the electricity produced by the generator is supplied to the power grid with the help of cables.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the main stages and gives a clear overall summary: water is pumped underground, heated by the hot rocks, brought back to the surface, and used to generate electricity. It also correctly includes the 4.5 km depth and identifies the injection and production wells, condenser, turbine and generator. The overview’s emphasis on the turbine is relevant, though the process would be summarised more fully by noting that water is heated as it passes through the geothermal zone and that steam drives the turbine. Some details are imprecise: the condenser is described as turning hot water into steam, whereas the diagram labels it as the point where steam is released. The account is otherwise relevant and sufficiently complete, but some features are less precisely explained.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised in a clear sequence, moving from an overview to the underground stages and then to electricity generation. Sequencing expressions such as “First,” “Subsequently,” and “Lastly” help the reader follow the process, and the stages are grouped sensibly into paragraphs. The long first-stage sentence, however, strings several actions together with repeated “then” and “which,” making the progression less smooth. The final paragraph also repeats the idea that the turbine produces power before explaining that the generator produces electricity. For stronger cohesion, divide the process into more balanced steps and use precise references such as “this heated water” or “the resulting steam” to connect stages without repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a process, with useful terms such as “injection well,” “production well,” “geothermal zone,” “condenser,” and “generator.” The writer also uses process verbs including “pumped,” “flows,” and “powers.” However, some choices are informal or imprecise: “pushed” is less suitable than “pumped,” and “starts spinning” is repeated and does not describe the process as precisely as “drives the turbine.” There are also spelling errors in “spining” and “flowa,” and “power grid” is less exact than “electricity grid” or “transmission network.” A broader set of accurate technical verbs and careful proofreading would improve precision and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “the geothermal zone, which consists of hot rocks” and a sequence of linked process clauses. Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors are present. In “which warms the water as it flowa through it,” the verb should agree with “it” (“flows”), and the repeated “which” clauses make the sentence difficult to control. The phrase “ends at electricity being supplied” is also awkwardly formed; “ends with electricity being supplied” would be more natural. The writer could improve accuracy by breaking the long first-stage sentence into shorter units and checking verb forms, clause links and prepositions while retaining some complex structures.

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