Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-21

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 4.0)

The given process chart illustrates how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.

Firstly, cold water is pumped down to the geothermal zone then, hot water is pumped up to the condenser afterwards steam is transported to the turbine, afterwards turbine powers the turbine and produces electricity, then, at last, electricity is transported to the transported to the geothermal power plant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the general process and include several correct stages: cold water goes underground, hot water returns to the surface, and steam reaches a turbine. However, the account is extremely incomplete: it omits the geothermal zone’s role in heating the water, the 4.5 km depth, and the generator’s function. It also misreports the final stage, saying electricity is transported “to the geothermal power plant”; the diagram shows the generator producing electricity and power lines carrying it to a transmission pylon. There is no clear overview of the process as a whole. The response is 53 words, so it falls 97 words short of the 150-word minimum; 8 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count. Develop each stage accurately and include an overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The stages are presented in roughly chronological order, and sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “then,” and “at last” help signal movement through the process. This gives the reader a basic sense of progression. However, the response is a single short sequence rather than a clearly organised report, with no separate overview and no grouping of the underground and surface stages. The repeated “afterwards” and “then” make the linking mechanical, while the ending repeats “transported” and leaves the destination unclear. Organise the response into an overview followed by a fuller description of the stages, and use links that show the actual relationships between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “cold water,” “geothermal zone,” “condenser,” “steam,” and “turbine,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is narrow and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive. “The process chart” is not the most suitable description of a diagram, and “turbine powers the turbine” confuses the turbine with the generator. The phrase “transported to the transported” is also an unhelpful repetition that obscures the final stage. Use the diagram’s precise terms consistently, especially “production well,” “generator,” and “transmission pylon,” and choose verbs that accurately describe each component’s role.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses a basic sequence of clauses, and the main actions can mostly be understood. However, the sentence structure is very limited: nearly all information is joined into one long sentence with repeated sequencing words, rather than being controlled through a range of sentence forms. Punctuation is also faulty, as in “Firstly, cold water is pumped down to the geothermal zone then, hot water…”; the clauses need clearer separation. The final clause, “electricity is transported to the transported to the geothermal power plant,” is structurally incomplete and difficult to interpret. Practise writing several clear sentences, using accurate clause boundaries and a consistent present tense to describe the process.

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

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