Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-04

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 process diagram gives the information about how to produce electricity with the use of geothermal power plant.

Overall, there are total five steps in this procedure. It starts from cold water and ends with the electricity gave to generators or the wires.

Firstly, it starts with cold water pumped down into the ground through an injection well, which is 4.5 km deep. The water passes through geothermal zone , consisted of hot rocks, where it is heated.

Next, the hot water or steam is brought back to the surface through the production well. The hot water pumped up in to a condenser where it may be futher heated and then into a turbine. The pressure of these makes the turbine rotate. The turbine is connected to a generator which is use to produced electrical energy. The produced electricity then now sent to a electric pylon via national grid.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main sequence, including water entering the 4.5-km injection well, passing through hot rocks, returning via the production well, and driving a turbine and generator. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the process ends with electricity being generated and transmitted, not “given to generators,” and the diagram shows five numbered stages rather than five steps covering every component. Some details are also misreported: the condenser produces steam; it is not described as further heating the water, and the diagram does not show a national grid. The response is 149 words, one word below the required minimum. To make the account more complete and precise, clarify the condenser’s role and describe the final electricity transmission without adding unsupported information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the underground stages and then the surface equipment. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” and “Next” help the reader follow the process, and the progression from injection to electricity generation is generally easy to understand. This coherent structure meets the lower-band expectations well. To show more flexible control, avoid relying on a small set of basic transitions and make the links between stages more explicit. For example, the move from hot water returning to the surface to steam entering the turbine is compressed into one sentence, which blurs the sequence. Separate these stages and use clear references to the water, steam, turbine, and generator.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “injection well,” “geothermal zone,” “production well,” “condenser,” and “turbine.” These terms make the subject clear, and “pumped down” and “pumped up” describe the movement effectively. There are, however, several inaccurate or awkward choices that reduce precision: “the electricity gave to generators” does not express the final output clearly, “further heated” is unsupported by the diagram, and “national grid” adds information not shown. Spelling errors such as “futher” also detract from control. Aim for precise process collocations and use the diagram’s labels: for instance, say that the condenser produces steam and that the generator produces electricity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “an injection well, which is 4.5 km deep” and a clause explaining where the water is heated. The sequence remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. Examples include “there are total five steps,” “The hot water pumped up,” and “which is use to produced,” where articles, auxiliary verbs, agreement, and verb forms are not controlled. The final sentence also has an awkward passive construction: “The produced electricity then now sent.” Practise forming passive process descriptions consistently, such as “Hot water is pumped up” and “electricity is then sent.” Check each sentence for a finite verb and remove unnecessary words such as “then now.”

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