Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-27
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 5.0)
The table illustrates how electricity is formed in a hydroelectric power station.
Overall, the water come from river into dam passes through power station and produce electricity at day. At night the turbinse are reversible.
The water come from river to high-level reservoir intake through the dam and then water pass to the power lines and national grid of generator of the power station. During this process the flow of water become very high to produce electricity.This is how electricity is produced.
Water flow into the low-level reservoir when pass through the generator. And this all process occur at day time. This all process become reversible at night. The water at low-level reservoir passes through the reversible turbines which pump the water into highevel reservoir and water start pumping towards dam. At night the intake point of dam is closed.
This is the main process how hydroelectric power station works and produce electricity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response identifies the main features of the hydroelectric power station, such as the day and night cycles. However, the description is somewhat inaccurate and lacks clarity. For instance, the claim that water flows to the national grid is technically incorrect, as the grid receives electricity, not water. The explanation of the reversible process is also confusingly phrased, failing to clearly distinguish between the intake and the pumping phases. While the response covers the basic cycle, the lack of precision in describing the mechanical process and the failure to use accurate terminology (e.g., 'intake point of dam is closed') result in a response that only partially addresses the requirements of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into short paragraphs, but the flow of ideas is disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and often repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'This is' or 'The water'. There is a lack of logical progression between sentences, making the explanation feel like a series of isolated statements rather than a cohesive description of a process. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when referring back to the 'process' or the 'dam'. While the overall structure is discernible, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the mechanical nature of the transitions hinder the clarity of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'water', 'electricity', and 'process'. There are several instances of inaccurate word choice, such as 'formed' instead of 'generated' and 'higevel' (spelling error). The student struggles to use technical vocabulary appropriate for a process description, such as 'penstock', 'turbine', or 'generator' in a precise manner. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of variety and the presence of spelling errors and awkward collocations (e.g., 'water start pumping towards dam') limit the score in this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response relies primarily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('water come', 'turbinse are', 'process occur') and missing articles ('at day', 'at night'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods and commas. While the meaning is usually clear despite these errors, the lack of complex sentence structures and the high frequency of basic grammatical mistakes prevent the response from reaching a higher band. The errors are noticeable and occasionally cause the reader to pause.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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