Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-26

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 how is electricity generated in the hydroelectric power station.

Overall, The process involves two man stages. During the day water flows from high level reservoir through reversible turbiness to generate electricity while at night the water is pumped back into the high level reservior to reuse.

During the day, water is restored in th high level reservior behind a dam. When the dam is opened, water flows down through a pipe towards the power station. When the water passes through the reversible turbiness they operate the generators which produces electricity. The electricity is then transmitted to the national grid through power lines . At the same time they use water flow into the low level reservoir.

At night, The intake is closed and process is reversed. The reservoir turbiness works as pumps and move water from the low level reservior back up to the high level reservoir. This allows water to the restored and again used to generate electricity during the followimg day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the hydroelectric power station diagram and highlighting the contrast between daytime electricity generation and nighttime water pumping. The overview clearly identifies the two main stages of the process. Key details, such as the opening and closing of the intake, the role of the reversible turbines, and the flow of water into the low-level and high-level reservoirs, are accurately described and grounded in the visual data. The response meets all requirements for Task Achievement at this level, demonstrating a clear ability to select and summarise complex process information without significant omissions or inaccuracies.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall progression, moving logically from an introduction and overview into daytime operations and finally nighttime processes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different phases of the cycle. Cohesive devices are employed with reasonable success, such as 'During the day', 'At the same time', and 'At night', though referencing is occasionally faulty, as seen in the phrase 'the process is reversed' where the transition could be smoother. While paragraphing and sequencing are generally clear, some minor mechanical cohesion issues keep the score at this band level.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific terms such as 'hydroelectric power station', 'reversible turbines', 'national grid', and 'generator'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'turbiness' instead of turbines, 'reservior' instead of reservoir, 'restored' instead of stored, and 'followimg' instead of following. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0 due to recurring inaccuracies in less common vocabulary and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'When the dam is opened, water flows down through a pipe towards the power station.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles, prepositions, and clause structures. Examples include the intrusive 'how is' in the opening sentence ('illustrates the how is electricity generated'), missing articles ('from high level reservoir'), and awkward phrasing like 'This allows water to the restored'. Punctuation and capitalization errors also occur, such as mid-sentence capitalization ('Overall, The process'). These issues demonstrate the mixed control characteristic of Band 6.

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