Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-19

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 image demonstrates the process of generating electricity at geothermal power plant station.

Overall, electricity production in geothermal power plant involves 5 steps by turning cold water into steams with the help of rocks beneath the earth surface. Then, the steam powers the generator to produce current.

Commencing with the cold water, a powerful pump pushes the cold water up to 4.5 kilometers in the injection well where usually volcanic rocks are found which is known as geothermal zone. By reaching the production well, the water already gets heated and the boiling water is pumped up towards the condenser. By this point, the condenser morphs the boiling water into a powerful steam. Consequently, the steam rotates the turbine with full force and here the generator starts producing electric current by utilizing the energy. Finally, electricity is supplied to the towers for consumption.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main sequence—from cold water entering underground to steam driving a turbine and generator—and provide an overview of the process. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the water is pumped down the injection well, not “up,” and the diagram does not say the rocks are volcanic or that the condenser itself turns boiling water into steam. The overview also says there are five steps, but the stages are not clearly distinguished, and the final reference to electricity being supplied “to the towers for consumption” misrepresents the transmission pylon. The response is 8 words below the required minimum. To develop the account more fully, describe the water’s passage through hot rocks and the roles of the condenser, turbine and generator precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression, moving from an overview into the stages and using sequencing expressions such as “Commencing with,” “By this point,” and “Finally.” This makes the process reasonably easy to follow. The two-paragraph structure is appropriate, and the stages are presented in the correct general order. However, some links are mechanical or imprecise: “By reaching the production well” does not clearly explain that water travels through the geothermal zone before rising, while “Consequently” and “Finally” do not fully resolve the unclear relationship between the condenser and steam. For stronger progression, use direct stage-to-stage links and make each sentence’s subject explicit, so the reader can track the water, steam and machinery without having to infer connections.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “injection well,” “production well,” “condenser,” “turbine” and “generator,” which helps communicate the main stages. There are also attempts at more varied wording, such as “Commencing” and “utilizing.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for a technical process: “powerful pump,” “powerful steam” and “with full force” add unsupported emphasis, while “morphs” is too informal and imprecise for describing a change of state. “Steams” should be the uncountable noun “steam,” and “geothermal power plant station” is redundant. Prefer neutral, precise verbs such as “pumps,” “heats,” “produces” and “drives,” and use standard technical collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “the injection well where usually volcanic rocks are found” and a time clause beginning “By reaching the production well.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the sequence is not obscured by grammar. Some errors and awkward constructions persist, however. The opening needs an article (“at a geothermal power plant”), and “electricity production … involves 5 steps by turning” does not form a clear grammatical relationship. “By reaching” is also an unsuitable clause structure for the intended meaning; a form such as “By the time the water reaches…” would be clearer. Check articles, clause construction and sentence boundaries, while retaining the complex structures you attempt.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.