Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-25

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 diagram illustrates the process of generating electricity in a reservoir pumped hydroelectric power station.

Overall, water flows from high-level reservoir to downward through underground pipe, then arrived to power station during the daytime, this flow reverse during the night from low-level reservoir to high-level reservoir.

During the daytime, the intake is located at the bottom of the dam is open. River water that has been stored in the high-level reservoir flows down through the pipe towards the power station, where generator developes power lines for National grid .

In contrast, during the night, process is reverse. The intake is closed, and reversible turbines function as pump. They pump water moves opposite side, it pumps from the low-level reservoir back to the high-level reservoir through the same pipe, ready to used again for generating electricity the following day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies the main features of the hydroelectric power station diagram, outlining both the daytime electricity generation process and the night-time pumping phase. The overview captures the dual operation mode effectively. However, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 138 words. This negative length constraint requires a penalty to the Task Achievement score. Furthermore, certain mechanical details, such as how the generator 'developes power lines', show slight misreadings of the diagram's visual connections. Despite these minor issues, the core stages of water flow from the high-level reservoir through the intake, turbines, and power station to the low-level reservoir are clearly reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs representing an introduction, an overview, daytime operations, and night-time operations. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'During the daytime', and 'In contrast' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the cyclical process. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the contrasting phases of day and night. However, some referencing is slightly clunky, as seen in phrases like 'this flow reverse during the night'. Overall progression is clear, but cohesion could be smoother with more varied transitional phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully employing process-specific terms such as 'reservoir', 'intake', 'reversible turbines', and 'national grid'. Attempts at less common vocabulary lead to some awkward word choices and collocation errors, such as 'developes power lines' instead of supplying electricity to the national grid, and 'process is reverse' instead of 'the process is reversed'. Spelling is generally accurate, though minor grammatical-lexical slips occur. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the steps of the diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'River water that has been stored in the high-level reservoir flows down through the pipe...'. However, there are frequent grammatical inaccuracies, including tense and voice errors ('flow reverse', 'process is reverse', 'water moves opposite side', 'ready to used again'). These errors reflect instability in handling passive structures and infinitive forms. While communication is not severely impeded and the meaning remains mostly clear, the frequency of basic structural errors keeps the score at this band.

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