Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-30

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 process diagram illustrates the process of electricity production in a hydroelectric power station.

This process consists of several steps to produce electricity, which starts from collection of water from river to high level reservior and ends up at low level reservoir, meanwhile generated electricity is transfered to national grid for storage or domestic use.

First of all, water from the flowing river is stored in the dam at significant height enables it to flow downstream under the gravity through a small orifice at the bottom of dam storage, which remains opened at day time and closed at night. After that water from this small opening flows into the reversible turbine, which acts as turbine at day time while pump at night to push water back to high level reservoir.

After these initial steps, water rotates the turbine blades, which are further connected with generator, which produces electricity and tranfers it to national grid for storage purposes via power cables while the used water from the turbine is collected in low level reservoir at day time while pushed back to the high level reservoir at night allowing the process to run in a cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully identifies the main features of the hydroelectric power station process. You have clearly described the cyclical nature of the system, including the day and night operations. However, the overview could be more distinct; while you mention the process steps, a more concise summary of the overall mechanism (the conversion of potential energy into electricity via a reversible turbine) would strengthen the response. You have covered all parts of the prompt well, and the comparison between day and night cycles is effectively integrated into the description.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction and body paragraphs that follow the process chronologically. You use cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'After that', and 'After these initial steps' to guide the reader. However, some sentences are quite long and slightly repetitive in their structure, which makes the flow feel a bit mechanical at times. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction from the procedural details, and referencing (e.g., 'this small opening') is generally clear and effective.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using technical terms like 'reversible turbine', 'orifice', and 'national grid' correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'collection of water from river to high level reservior' (should be 'collection of water from the river into the high-level reservoir') and 'remains opened' (should be 'remains open'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the process clearly, it lacks the more sophisticated, precise collocations that would elevate the score to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is missing before 'river' and 'dam') and prepositions. For example, 'flow downstream under the gravity' should be 'flow downstream under gravity'. Additionally, some sentences are run-on, such as the second paragraph, which contains too many clauses joined by commas. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence boundary control and article usage will improve your accuracy.

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

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