Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-15
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 illustrates how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station during the day and how power pump back at night again to high level reservoir.
Overall, the process is cyclical and involves two main stages, Water flows from high level reservoir to power station which generate electricity before released into low-level reservoir which moved back to again upper level reservoir in night.
During the day time, water stored in high-level reservoir and released through an intake at the bottom of the dam. it then flows downhill through large pipes towards the power station. As the water passed through reversible turbines they are activated and generate electricity. The electricity is subsequently transfered to the national gird through power lines, After passing through the turbine the water is collected into the low level reservoir.
At night, when electricity demand is lower, The process operates in the opposite direction. The reversible turbines helps to pump water again to pass through the turbines from low level to upper level reservoir through same pipe, and its ready to flow down to turbines in day and this cycle is repeated continously.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all key parts of the process diagram, highlighting the cyclical nature of the hydroelectric power station during both day and night operations. The overview sentence clearly captures the main feature of the process (water generation during the day and pumping back at night). The body paragraphs correctly sequence the stages, from the high-level reservoir through the intake and reversible turbines to the national grid, and the reverse process at night. While there are some minor inaccuracies in expression, such as 'how power pump back at night again', the overall response satisfies the requirements of Task 1 well, earning a Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for day and night operations. Cohesive devices such as 'During the day time', 'It then', 'subsequently', and 'At night' are used to guide the reader through the sequence of events. However, referencing and punctuation are occasionally faulty, as seen in run-on sentences and comma splices, for example: 'it then flows downhill through large pipes towards the power station. As the water passed through reversible turbines they are activated...' Paragraphing is sufficient, but smoother transitions and better control over cohesive links would elevate the score further. Progression is clear overall.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully employing process-related terms such as 'cyclical', 'reversible turbines', 'national grid', and 'electricity demand'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'power pump back' instead of 'water is pumped back', 'transfered' (spelling error), and 'gird' instead of 'grid'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success. The lexical range is sufficient to communicate the main features clearly, but inaccuracies prevent it from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and conditional-like time clauses ('At night, when electricity demand is lower...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation, such as 'Water flows from high level reservoir to power station which generate electricity before released into low-level reservoir which moved back to again upper level reservoir in night.' Punctuation errors include missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences ('it then flows...'). These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader, though they do not completely impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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