Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-16

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 following figure describes the working of Hydroelectric power plant. According to it, the water from river flows into high level reservoir (dam) then It flows downward during the day to generate electricity. Next step is generator whhich is operated by energy produce during water flow. The generator gives energy through power lines to national grid. On the other hand during the night, the process is reversed. The pump is used to flow water from low level reservoir to high level reservoir. The intake is closed so the water flows back to generator and generate electricity because of the reverse flow as shown in figure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response is significantly under the required word count of 150 words, containing only 105 words. Because of this, the overview of the process is truncated and some key aspects of the diagram are missed or only partially explained. While the student correctly identifies the main stages—such as water flowing from the high-level reservoir during the day to generate electricity and being pumped back at night—the explanation contains inaccuracies regarding the night cycle, stating that 'the intake is closed so the water flows back to generator'. According to the diagram, the intake is closed at night while water is pumped from the low-level reservoir back to the high-level reservoir via the reversible turbines. This misreading of the visual data impacts the accuracy of the task response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text demonstrates a basic level of organisation, attempting to follow the chronological flow of the process from the river to the national grid and mentioning the day and night cycles. However, the lack of paragraphing makes the text appear as a single block of writing, which impedes logical progression. Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, such as 'then', 'Next step', and 'On the other hand', and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'energy produce during water flow' where the connection between ideas is somewhat disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for describing a process, incorporating relevant terms such as 'reservoir', 'electricity', 'generator', and 'power lines'. However, the range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. There are also noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'working of Hydroelectric power plant' (missing an article), 'energy produce' instead of 'energy produced', and 'flow water' instead of 'pump water'. Spelling is mostly accurate except for one slip ('whhich'), but overall the lexical resource remains at a modest level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors throughout the response, including missing articles ('from river', 'to high level reservoir', 'to national grid'), capitalization errors ('It'), and punctuation issues. Sentence boundaries and clauses are sometimes awkward, such as in the final sentence where the explanation of the night cycle becomes convoluted. While some simple sentences are error-free, the frequency of basic grammatical slips weighs down the overall score for this criterion.

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

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