Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-01

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

Overall, the water of river is followed downwards to a turbine which spins and generate the electricity and followed by power lines to national grid. At night the turbines pump water into high-level reservoir.

The water of river flows towards a dam which is collected at front which is high-level reservoir. In day time the dam gets open and water flows towards the turbines to generate electricity. Moreover, as the water passes through turbines it spines and with help of that generator produces electricity and it gets into power lines to national grid.

Although, the electricity has been produced but the water which has passed through turbines get stored in low-level reservoir besides the wall near turbine. The reserved water at lower level get pumped back with the same turbines which flow from the exact same path and get stored into high-level reservoir which is the last step of producing electricity and after that repeats the same cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main stages of the hydroelectric power generation process, including the day and night cycles. You covered the key features, such as the reservoirs, turbines, and the national grid. However, the description of the process is slightly repetitive and could be more concise. To reach a higher band, ensure that you clearly distinguish between the two distinct phases (daytime generation and nighttime pumping) without repeating the same information about the turbines multiple times. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the cyclical nature of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall,' 'Moreover,' and 'Although,' which assist in linking ideas. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Although, the electricity has been produced but...' which is grammatically redundant. The flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'the same turbines') is used more precisely to avoid ambiguity.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have used some appropriate technical vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'hydroelectric power station,' 'reservoir,' 'turbine,' and 'national grid.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'water of river is followed downwards' and 'the dam gets open.' These errors occasionally make the text sound unnatural. To improve, focus on using more precise verbs and collocations, such as 'water is directed' instead of 'followed' and 'the dam gates are opened' instead of 'the dam gets open.'

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('turbines... generate' vs 'turbine... spins'), article usage ('the water of river'), and tense consistency. For example, 'water... get stored' should be 'is stored.' While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency of the text. Increasing your control over basic grammar and punctuation will significantly improve your score.

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

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