Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-11

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 given diagram illustratues the process of converting geothermal energy into electricity.

Overall it is a linear process, consisting five steps. The cold water is heated using earth's natural energy in deep layers and processed until it powers a generator to produce electricity.

The process commences with pumping cold water into the injection well which is built 4.5km deep. The well then pushes the water to flow through the geothermal zone of hot rocks, increasing the water temprature. Heated water is collected in another in-built production well which subsequently pumps the water back up onto surface.

The pumped up water is gathered in a condensor where it evaporates and generate steam to run the turbines connected at the narrow opening of condensor. The turbines spinning at a high speed due to the pressure caused by steam, powers a generator which produces electricity eventually that lights up the area by being transferred through electric poles connected to generator.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the process from cold-water injection through heating, return to the surface, steam production and electricity generation. The overview identifies the main transformation and the 4.5 km depth is accurately reported. These features make the account relevant and generally clear. However, the description is not fully precise: the diagram shows steam powering a turbine, which drives the generator, but it does not indicate that the turbine spins at high speed or that the electricity “lights up the area.” The overview also calls the process five steps without clearly distinguishing the stages. To strengthen the response, report only what the diagram supports and make the key sequence and the turbine-generator relationship explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs describing the underground and surface stages. Sequencing expressions such as “The process commences,” “subsequently,” and “eventually” help the reader follow the process. The progression is mostly logical, though some links are awkward or unclear. For example, “The well then pushes the water to flow” makes the movement sound as if the well itself is acting, and the final sentence combines turbine action, electricity generation and transmission in a crowded sequence. The overview’s reference to five steps is also not clearly reflected in the paragraphing. Use more direct stage-by-stage sentences and clearer references to the water, steam, turbine and generator.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “injection well,” “geothermal zone,” “production well,” “evaporates,” and “generator.” These terms help communicate the main stages, and some less common choices show an attempt to describe the process precisely. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy: “illustratues,” “temprature,” and “condensor” are misspelled, while “in-built” is not a natural description of the wells. “Electric poles” is also less precise than “transmission lines” or “power lines.” Some phrasing, such as “lights up the area,” is informal and adds an unsupported implication. Aim for accurate technical terms and natural collocations rather than decorative wording.

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 of hot rocks” and a participial phrase in “increasing the water temperature.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. In “consisting five steps,” the verb requires “of”; “it evaporates and generate steam” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “the turbines … powers a generator” also has disagreement. The final sentence is long and makes the relationships between clauses difficult to control. There are also article and preposition issues in phrases such as “onto surface.” Improve accuracy by checking agreement and required prepositions, and divide the final sentence into shorter clauses while retaining some complex structures.

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