Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The diagram below clarifies the production of electricity inside hydroelectric power station.

Hydroelectric power station is a power station that store the water from dams and produce electricity with the help of generators.

Few steps are following:

First and foremost, dams are open during day and water moves through the dam with high level reservior. Water flows toward the power station. Inside power station there is a generation and it attach with two things one is power lines that has national grid and from downward through a pipe it attach to reversible turn. During day time when water flow with high volume inside the power station and it hit the turbine. When the turbine moves the generator operates and then electricity produce into power lines.

On the other hand, dams are close and the low reservior water that floats through the turbine with high speed has low volume through pumping reversible turbine will reverse the flow of water outside the power station towards the river.

Production of electricity is a reversible process during day water use to produce electricity and at night the remaining water will go back to river. This whole process will be repeated everyday.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the process, identifying the day and night cycles of the hydroelectric station. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview of the process as a whole. While the key stages are mentioned, the explanation of how the 'reversible turbine' functions is slightly confusing and lacks technical precision. The summary of the process is present, but it could be more effectively integrated to highlight the cyclical nature of the system. To improve, ensure that the relationship between the reservoir levels and the turbine movement is described more clearly, as the current explanation of the 'low reservoir' and 'pumping' phase is a bit vague.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and occasionally repetitive. Phrases like 'First and foremost' and 'On the other hand' are used, but the transition between sentences within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Inside power station there is a generation and it attach with two things', where the connection between the components is not well-signposted. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows logically into the next would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choices or incorrect collocations, such as 'clarifies the production' instead of 'illustrates the process', and 'water use to produce' instead of 'water is used to produce'. The term 'reversible turn' is also imprecise. To achieve a higher score, you should focus on using more specific technical terminology related to hydroelectric power, such as 'intake', 'penstock', or 'power grid', and ensure that verbs and nouns are used in their correct forms to convey the process accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include missing articles ('inside power station', 'towards the river'), subject-verb agreement errors ('electricity produce', 'dams are close'), and awkward phrasing ('water that floats through the turbine'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction, particularly the correct use of articles and verb tenses, will help improve the accuracy of your writing significantly.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.