Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-17

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 illustrate how electricity produced using geothermal energy.It explain the whole process of creating electricity which include 5 steps.

overall, all these steps are important in making the electricity. The one most important step is production well where water become hot and reached to further process to make the electricity. The another is generator where all these electricity produced.

The first step in this process is cold water which then pumped down around 4.5 km away near the injection well. During second step, this cold water enter into the geothermal zone, known as hot rocks. In production well which is major step of this process where hot water put into condenser. This process made steam which automatically enter into the turbine to make the electricity.

The last step in this process is generator where current created which is powered by turbine and then it create electricity. After all these crucial steps, electricity reached to tower.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main stages, including water being pumped underground, heated by hot rocks, returned to the surface, and used to produce electricity. The reference to the 4.5 km depth is also accurate. However, the overview is vague and does not clearly summarise the complete sequence or explain the key transformation from cold water to steam, then turbine movement and electricity generation. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the water is not pumped “around 4.5 km away,” and the condenser is described as receiving hot water, whereas the production well carries it to the condenser, where steam is produced. The final reference to electricity reaching a “tower” is imprecise; it is transmitted by power lines to a pylon. A more precise overview and stage-by-stage account would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview, and a description of the process. Sequencing phrases such as “The first step,” “During second step,” and “The last step” help the reader follow the general order. However, progression is not consistently clear: the overview repeats points about the production well and generator, and the body does not distinguish the stages as accurately as the diagram does. “This process” and “these crucial steps” are also vague references, while the transition from steam to the turbine and generator could be explained more explicitly. Organise the body in a single, uninterrupted sequence and use precise links such as “after heating” and “once converted into steam” to make relationships clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “injection well,” “geothermal zone,” “condenser,” “turbine,” and “generator,” which shows an adequate range for describing this diagram. Some choices, however, are imprecise or unnatural and make the process harder to understand. For example, “water become hot,” “hot water put into condenser,” and “electricity reached to tower” do not express the intended actions clearly. “Current created” is also not the most suitable description of the generator’s output in this context. Aim for accurate process collocations and verbs, such as water being heated, steam being produced, and electricity being transmitted. This would make the account more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, and the overall meaning can generally be followed. However, errors occur frequently in basic sentence construction and agreement. For example, “The diagram illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, while “It explain” and “water become hot” have the same issue. Missing or incorrect articles and verb forms appear in “During second step” and “hot water put into condenser.” The sentence beginning “In production well which is major step” is incomplete, and punctuation is inconsistent, including missing spaces after full stops and an unnecessary capitalisation of “overall.” These patterns sometimes make relationships between stages unclear. Practise complete clauses and accurate passive forms, such as “water is pumped down” and “steam is produced,” while checking articles and sentence boundaries.

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