Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-13

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 diagram displays how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.

First water come from river and goes to high level reservoir of dam. Flow of water during day time generates electricity and the flow of water during night goes in opposite direction. Water from dam come to power station which have generator. There are also power lines and national grid after it. In day time water from high level reservoir comes to low level reservoir and during night it travels from low level reservoir to high level reservoir.Water intake opens whole day while it closes at night.The flow of water towards low level reservoir generates electricity during whole day. On the other hand water flows toward high level reservoir at night. The generator in power station plays a vital role to produce electricity. The reversiible turbines operate generator during day and pump water to high level reservoir at night. This process reapets several times to generate electricity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the main features of the hydroelectric power station diagram, covering both the daytime and nighttime generation phases, including the high and low-level reservoirs, the power station, and the reversible turbines. However, the response lacks a clear overall overview of the process. Several details are repetitive, such as mentioning the movement of water between the reservoirs multiple times. While the main steps are identified, the development is somewhat limited and lacks a precise analytical tone expected in Academic Task 1. Key features like the water intake and national grid are mentioned, but comparisons and trends are not fully realised, positioning this response firmly at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response suffers significantly from poor paragraphing, as it is written as one single, dense block of text rather than distinct paragraphs for an introduction, overview, and body details. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, relying heavily on simple time markers like 'First', 'In day time', and 'during night'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for instance in phrases like 'after it' and 'Water from dam come to power station which have generator'. There is no clear overall progression of ideas, as information about day and night cycles is scattered and repeated across the text rather than logically grouped. This aligns with the descriptors for Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 due to a basic attempt at chronological sequencing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on everyday words like 'water', 'river', 'dam', 'power station', and 'generator'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'reversiible' (misspelled) and 'vital role', but control is weak. Word choice and collocation errors are noticeable, such as 'water come from river' instead of 'flows from a river', and 'goes in opposite direction' instead of 'flows in the reverse direction'. Spelling errors ('reversiible', 'reapets') and grammatical word-form slips also occur. The lexical range is minimally adequate for the task, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student uses a very limited range of sentence structures, mostly consisting of simple sentences joined by coordinating conjunctions. Attempts at complex sentences often result in grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('Water from dam come to power station which have generator') and subject-verb agreement errors ('First water come', 'Water intake opens whole day while it closes'). Punctuation is weak, notably with missing capitalisation at the beginning of a sentence ('Water intake opens...') and missing commas. Frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and demonstrate a lack of control over complex grammatical forms, placing the grammar score at 5.0.

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