Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12

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 5.5)

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

In the diagram it is visible that there are about six to seven steps taken to make hydroelectric power starting of with the flow of river which stops at dam where there is high level of reservoir and beside dam there is a place from where the water flows. The water moves through that and goes to the generator which generate electricity and its goes to power station into the power lines to the national grid this is the process which is done during day time.

In addition there is a process which takes place in the night time and the turbines are reversible so it can flow the water from both the sides in night the water flow through the low level reservoir and goes into turbines which generate power into the power station. The fow of water is sent into the high level reservoir

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the hydroelectric power generation process, including the day and night cycles. However, the description is somewhat superficial and lacks a clear overview or summary of the process as a whole. The explanation of the mechanism is slightly confusing, particularly the description of the water flow between reservoirs. While the key stages are identified, the response would benefit from a more structured approach that clearly distinguishes between the components (dam, turbines, reservoirs) and the sequence of events. The lack of a concluding summary or a clear introduction that paraphrases the prompt limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into two paragraphs, which helps separate the day and night processes. However, the progression of ideas within the paragraphs is sometimes disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is quite limited and repetitive (e.g., 'In the diagram', 'In addition'). There are instances where the flow of information is unclear, such as the transition between the generator and the power lines. The referencing is occasionally ambiguous, making it difficult for the reader to follow the exact path of the water through the system.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the process but lacks the precision and variety expected for a higher band. Terms like 'place', 'goes to', and 'done' are overly simplistic. While the student correctly uses technical terms such as 'hydroelectric', 'reservoir', and 'turbines', the overall range is limited. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'starting of with' instead of 'starting with' and 'flow the water from both the sides', which slightly hinders the professional tone required for an Academic Task 1 report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and there is a lack of complex grammatical forms. Punctuation is inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and missing commas, which makes the text harder to read. For example, 'The water moves through that and goes to the generator which generate electricity and its goes to power station...' contains multiple grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement ('generator which generate') and pronoun usage ('its' instead of 'it'). These errors occur frequently and occasionally impede the clarity of the description.

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

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