Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
In a Hydroelectric power station, high-level and low-level water reservoir's exist to facilitate electricity generation. During daytime, intake of water from the river is open through dam which allows electric current to be generated by the flow of water. This water goes directly into the generator of the power station. Generator is operated to generate electricity according to our usage and limit. Afterwards, Power lines from our station are connected to the National grid station from where they are used accordingly with our needs.
During night time, the presence of reversibile turbines allow us to reverse the process by pumping water into high-level reservoir instead. Water from low-level reservoir is taken through the same path but in opposite direction. The Intake of dam is closed during this time to stop any water flow to the power station. This way we have made our system more efficient by performing a different task in the morning and different at night.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student covers the main stages of the diagram, explaining both the daytime electricity generation process and the nighttime water pumping mechanism. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and omissions in describing the complete loop. For instance, the student states that water goes directly from the intake into the generator, omitting the reversible turbines and the conduit connection. Furthermore, the tone shifts slightly into personal/descriptive commentary rather than purely objective summarisation (e.g., 'according to our usage and limit', 'this way we have made our system'). While all parts of the process are touched upon, the lack of precision in describing the physical layout prevents it from reaching a higher band. Overall, it addresses the prompt adequately.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is divided into two logical paragraphs, separating the daytime operations from the nighttime operations, which mirrors the key split in the diagram. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the sequence, such as 'During daytime', 'Afterwards', and 'During night time'. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'Power lines from our station are connected to the National grid station from where they are used accordingly with our needs', where pronoun use and logical flow feel a bit conversational. Paragraphing is clear, and an overall logical progression is maintained, though paragraph transitions could be smoother with more sophisticated cohesive phrasing.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'hydroelectric power station', 'reservoir', 'intake', 'reversible turbines', and 'National grid'. However, there are noticeable word-form and spelling errors, such as 'reversibile' instead of 'reversible' and the erroneous apostrophe in 'reservoir's exist'. Word choice is sometimes simplistic or repetitive, and collocations lack precision in places (e.g., 'according with our needs' instead of 'in accordance with our needs'). Despite these limitations, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the core mechanical processes shown in the prompt.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('from where they are used') and participial phrases ('by pumping water'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are missing articles ('Generator is operated', 'Intake of dam'), punctuation errors, and awkward phrasing that detracts from accuracy. For instance, 'different task in the morning and different at night' lacks a noun or proper parallel structure. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they occur frequently enough to keep the response at a Band 5.5 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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