Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-20
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 4.5)
The diagram depicts the diagram about how electricity is geenrated in a hydroelectric power station by fewer steps.
Firstly, a river with a dam constructed on it, then a generater with a reversible turbines at bottom works differently at day and night time. In day it operates the generator, whereas at night this pump water into high-level resevoir and changed the flow of water, from moving downside at daytime to upward at night time.
Dam holds the water from river and decreasing the pressure, the flow of water to generate electricity moving downside in generator
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The student attempts to describe the hydroelectric power station process, but the response is severely underdeveloped and significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 95 words. While the writer touches on a few features such as the day and night cycle and the high-level reservoir, the summary lacks an overall overview and misses major stages of the diagram, such as the low-level reservoir, power lines, and the national grid. Furthermore, the description contains inaccuracies and vague phrasings like 'by fewer steps' and 'decreasing the pressure'. Because the response fails to meet the length requirement and presents only a partial account of the process, it falls into the lower bands.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The text is divided into three very brief paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak and disjointed. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes awkward, such as 'Firstly, a river with a dam constructed on it, then a generater...'. Reference words are unclear at times, making it difficult to follow the sequence of the process between day and night operations. Overall, the structural arrangement lacks the cohesion and paragraphing expected for an academic task report, resulting in a low band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. There are several spelling mistakes, such as 'geenrated', 'generater', and 'resevoir', as well as awkward word forms like 'downside'. While the student attempts some topic-related vocabulary like 'high-level reservoir', 'reversible turbines', and 'generator', the limited range and frequent lexical errors impede clear communication and restrict the score in this category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
The grammatical range is extremely limited, relying mostly on simple or faulty complex structures. There are persistent errors in subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and prepositions, such as 'In day it operates the generator, whereas at night this pump water...'. Sentence boundaries are sometimes blurred, leading to run-on structures like 'Firstly, a river with a dam constructed on it, then a generater with a reversible turbines at bottom works differently at day and night time.' These frequent errors cause difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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