Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-22

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 6.0)

The process diagram illustrates how a hydroelectric power station are using water from rivers to produce electricity.

Overall, it needs 4 important steps to generate electricity. A large quantity of water is needed with enough flow rate to spin a turbine wich will make possible the creation of electricity. Throughout the night, the reverse process is made.

Regarding the day, the flow rate of the river is blocked by a dam and create a reservoir made of a large volume of water. By letting the water go through the bottom of the dam, a generator can power electrical lines because of the spin of the turbines. After passing the turbine, the fluid is stock for the night in a low level reservoir.

In contrast to the day, at night the reverse scenario is implemented by pumping the water from the low level reservoir. It therefeore spins the turbin once again but in the opposit direction and goes up towards the same place where it was initially at the beginning.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all the key stages of the process diagram, from the river and high-level reservoir through power generation to the night-time pumping cycle. The overview provided in the second paragraph captures the dual day and night operation of the hydroelectric power station, though the statement 'it needs 4 important steps' is slightly simplistic. The main features—such as the dam, intake, reversible turbines, generator, and low-level reservoir—are correctly identified and reported. However, some minor details could be extended further to fully develop the explanation of the water flow.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is generally coherent and follows a logical progression, moving from an introduction and overview to the day process, and finally the night process. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate these distinct ideas. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well, with phrases like 'Overall', 'Regarding the day', and 'In contrast to the day' helping to structure the response. However, referencing is occasionally slightly loose, such as 'It therefeore spins the turbin', where pronoun reference and mechanical linking could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a process, using terms such as 'flow rate', 'reservoir', 'reversible turbines', and 'generator'. However, there are several lexical errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'wich' instead of 'which', 'reverse process is made' instead of 'cycle takes place', 'fluid is stock' instead of 'water is stored', and 'opposit' instead of 'opposite'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'By letting the water go through the bottom of the dam, a generator can power electrical lines...'. However, there are notable grammatical inaccuracies throughout, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'a hydroelectric power station are using', and minor preposition or article slips like 'in a low level reservoir'. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of errors places this in the band 6 category.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.