Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-30

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)

The graphic illustrates the production of electricity in a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, it is a four-stage, man-made, linear process. It begins with the flow of water from river into the hydroelectric power station in day-time and resulting in the generation of electricity. A few amount of water then pumped back to reserviour at night.

First of all, the dam is situated in the river which is often opened in day and closed at night. After opening in day-light, water flows into power station that goes in the reversible turbines. Turbines that are situated below the generator pushes the water upwards and it basically operates the generator at day-time to produce electricity. Turbines also pushes some water into low-level reserviour in day-light.

Followed by, the generation of electricity it goes to power lines which is subsequently supplied to the national grid. At night, turbines in the power station pump the water from low-level reserviour into high-level reserviour to continue this cycle of generating the electricity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the diagram, identifying it as a four-stage man-made process. However, there are notable misinterpretations of the visual data. For instance, the student states that 'a few amount of water then pumped back to reserviour at night' and that turbines 'pushes some water into low-level reserviour in day-light', which misreads the cyclic operation where water is released downstream to generate electricity during the day and pumped back up at night. Furthermore, describing the entire setup as a 'four-stage' process lacks precision, and the relationship between the high-level reservoir, turbines, and low-level reservoir is somewhat confused. While the response covers the general flow, key cyclical features and day/night operational differences are inaccurately reported, placing this performance at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the day and night phases. Cohesive devices are attempted, such as 'First of all', 'After opening in day-light', and 'Followed by, the generation of electricity', but some usages are unnatural or grammatically awkward (e.g., 'Followed by, the generation of electricity it goes...'). Paragraphing is present and generally separates ideas appropriately, although the progression between sentences within paragraphs feels slightly mechanical and disjointed. Referencing (such as 'which is subsequently supplied') is mostly clear, but overall, the cohesive ties and logical flow warrant a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with domain-specific terms attempted such as 'hydroelectric power station', 'reversible turbines', and 'national grid'. However, there are noticeable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'reserviour' (reservoir), 'day-time' (daytime), 'A few amount' (An amount / A small amount), and 'pushes'. The student attempts less common vocabulary but lacks precise control over collocations and spelling, restricting the score to Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The graphic illustrates the production of electricity...' and 'It begins with the flow of water from river into the hydroelectric power station...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly missing articles ('from river into the hydroelectric power station'), subject-verb agreement issues ('a few amount of water then pumped', 'turbines... pushes', 'power lines which is'), and awkward prepositions. While meaning is generally communicated despite these errors, the high frequency of basic grammatical slips limits the score to Band 5.0.

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

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