Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The diagram illustrates different process involved in producing electricity from a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, the process during day and night time is visibly different. During day the collected water is run through a tunnel to generate energy and during night that same water is pump back to high-level reservoir. The intake is open during day and close at night.

When the water is collected from river in high-level reservoir creating a dam for water, which is flow through a sloppy tunnel to generate energy during day. It enters power station that has generator and reversible turnines. The reversible tubines operates the generator and through it electricity is produced and is pass through power lines and finanlly to national grid. The water is then stored in low-level reservoir.

During night, the water that is collected in low-reservoir, with the help of reversible turbines it is pump back to the high-level reservoir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You give a clear account of the diagram’s central cycle: water flows from the high-level reservoir through the station by day, generates electricity, and is returned from the low-level reservoir at night. The overview also correctly notes that the intake is open by day and closed at night, and the main components—including the generator, power lines and national grid—are included. This covers the key stages and both operating modes. To make the account more fully developed, clarify that the river feeds the high-level reservoir and describe the turbines’ contrasting roles: they drive the generator during the day and pump water uphill at night. The phrase “creating a dam for water” is also unclear, since the diagram shows the reservoir contained by a dam rather than water creating one.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a useful overall structure: an introduction, a summary of the day/night contrast, and separate descriptions of the daytime and nighttime stages. This gives the reader a generally logical route through the process, and transitions such as “Overall,” “During day,” and “During night” help signal the sequence. The progression is not always smooth, however. The long daytime sentence beginning “When the water is collected…” combines several stages, while “It enters power station” has an unclear reference. The final paragraph is very brief compared with the daytime account. Use clearer sentence boundaries and explicit links between stages—for example, first describing the reservoir and intake, then the station, and finally the water’s destination—to make cohesion more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “intake,” “generator,” “reversible turbines,” and “national grid,” which allows the main stages to be identified. There is some variety in how you describe the process, but inaccurate word forms, spelling and collocations reduce precision: “sloppy tunnel” does not describe the sloping conduit, and “turnines,” “tubines” and “finanlly” are misspelled. Phrases such as “producing electricity from a hydroelectric power station” and “creating a dam for water” are also awkward or imprecise. Aim for consistent technical terms and accurate process verbs, such as “flows through a conduit,” “drives the generator,” and “is pumped back.” Proofreading technical vocabulary would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast between day and night and a sequence of actions. However, control is uneven, and several errors make sentences difficult to follow. For example, “When the water is collected from river in high-level reservoir creating a dam for water” is an incomplete and structurally confused clause. There are also recurring problems with articles and verb forms: “from river,” “is flow,” “is pump back,” and “the reversible turbines operates.” The sentence beginning “The reversible tubines operates…” also shifts awkwardly between the generator and the electricity being passed onward. Practise complete clauses with a clear subject and consistent passive forms, such as “Water is pumped back to the high-level reservoir,” and check subject–verb agreement and articles.

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