Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-14

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 4.5)

The given diagram belows shows the geothemal energy that is used to produce eletricity

The first step in this process is pumping of cold water to the injection well

then the water goes through geothermal zone through the production well

and through that hot water is pumped up to the condenser

which creates steam in the gererator turbine where the powered by trubine and produces eletricity .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the process as geothermal electricity production and mention several relevant stages: cold water enters the injection well, passes through the geothermal zone, and hot water rises to the condenser. However, the response addresses the task only minimally. It omits key details, including the 4.5 km depth, the role of hot rocks in heating the water, and the sequence in which steam powers the turbine and the turbine drives the generator. The final sentence also confuses the equipment by suggesting steam is created “in the gererator turbine.” The response is substantially below the required 150 words, leaving the process and its main features under-described. To improve, give a clear overview and explain each stage accurately and in order.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic sense of sequence: “The first step” is followed by “then,” and the response moves from pumping water to its return as hot water. This gives the reader a simple outline of the process. However, the ideas are compressed into one short, loosely connected sequence, with no clear paragraph structure or concluding overview. The phrase “then the water goes through geothermal zone through the production well” makes the relationship between the underground heating stage and the well difficult to follow. The final clause is also attached awkwardly to the preceding sentence. Use separate sentences for the underground and surface stages, and connect them with precise sequencing language such as “Next” and “Finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant process vocabulary, including “injection well,” “geothermal zone,” “production well,” “condenser,” and “steam.” These terms show an attempt to describe the diagram rather than relying entirely on general language. However, the range is limited, and several spelling errors—“belows,” “geothemal,” “eletricity,” “gererator,” and “trubine”—make the writing less clear and less accurate. Some phrasing is also imprecise: “the water goes through geothermal zone through the production well” does not clearly express that water is heated underground before being pumped up. Learn and check the spelling of the diagram’s labels, and use accurate process verbs such as “circulates,” “is heated,” and “drives.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to describe a sequence using a present-tense passive construction in “cold water [is pumped] to the injection well,” which is appropriate for a process diagram. However, the response relies on a very limited range of sentence patterns, and errors in sentence construction frequently make relationships unclear. For example, “then the water goes through geothermal zone through the production well” lacks an article and does not clearly distinguish the stages. The final sentence, “which creates steam in the gererator turbine where the powered by trubine,” has an unclear relative clause and an incomplete verb phrase. Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles and clause structure when describing each stage.

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