Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-28

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)

Here we shall be getting a summary of how a hydroelectric power station works. The basic working of this kind of power station is a dam is constructed on a river which holds the water that is going to be used in generation of power. There is a intake on the bottom of the dam through which directs water from reservior to the generator. This intake remains open in the day time and closed in the night time. Now comes the generator which has a turbine and electricity producing machanism. The water from reservoir through the intake rushes toward the turbine and it passes through the turbine chamber. Due to high pressure water stream the turbine spins at a high speed and runs the generator which then produces electricity. The amazing fact is that the turbine can be used to operate generator as well as water pump when needed. There is also a low level reservoir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the hydroelectric power station diagram, but it falls short in several key areas. Crucially, the student completely misses the cyclic nature of the process, particularly the night-time pumping stage and the low-level reservoir's role, only mentioning it as an afterthought ('There is also a low level reservoir'). Furthermore, there is no introductory overview paragraph outlining the main features of the process as expected in Academic Task 1. While some details of the day-time generation phase are explained, the overall coverage of the diagram is partial and lacks a clear summary of the complete dual-cycle system. Therefore, it aligns best with Band 5 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text suffers from poor structural organisation. It lacks proper paragraphing, presented instead as a single block of text rather than a structured summary with an introduction and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes used awkwardly, such as conversational transitions like 'Now comes the generator'. While the sequencing of the day-time generation follows a sequential order, the overall arrangement lacks clear progression because the night-time cycle is omitted and the low-level reservoir is tacked on awkwardly at the end without integration into the process flow. Referencing is occasionally unclear, meriting a Band 5 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is somewhat limited and repetitive. The student uses basic vocabulary such as 'power station', 'water', and 'turbine', alongside noticeable word-choice and spelling errors (e.g., 'reservior' instead of reservoir, 'machanism' instead of mechanism, and 'A intake' instead of An intake). Although the writer attempts some less common technical terms related to the diagram like 'generator' and 'high pressure water stream', the inaccuracies and restricted variety prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Communication is generally maintained, fitting the Band 5 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as missing articles ('a dam is constructed', 'There is a intake'), incorrect prepositions ('on the bottom of the dam' instead of at the bottom, 'from reservior' instead of from the reservoir), and awkward phrasing ('through which directs water'). Verb tense consistency is also flawed ('Here shall be getting'). However, the meaning remains mostly clear despite these errors, supporting a Band 5 score for grammatical range and accuracy.

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