Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)
The diagram depicts electricity generation through hydroelectric power station.
Overall, it can be seen that, there are six major steps here. Whlie, there are two main step first High-level reservoir and second Low-level reservoir.
Initially, at day, firstly water store behind the Dam. After that, intake was open at day and flow of water in Reversible turbine and than turbine operate throgh generator.
At night, fist of all intake was closed. Furthermore, Generator continuesly generate electrisity and than water supply back side to help water pump into High level reservoir. However, at power station electrisity supply power line and than national grid.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response is significantly under-length, containing only 102 words compared to the required minimum of 150 words. This results in a direct penalty under Task Achievement. While the student attempts to describe the hydroelectric power station process by highlighting the day and night cycles and the two reservoirs, the description is disjointed and omits several key mechanical steps, such as the passage of water through the low-level reservoir and power lines leading to the national grid. The overview is weak, merely stating that there are six major steps without outlining the core cyclical nature of the process. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, leading to a band score of 4.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The text attempts a logical division between day and night operations, but the overall organisation is heavily disrupted by poor sentence structure and inadequate cohesion. Paragraphing is attempted, but the paragraphs are overly brief and fragmented. Cohesive devices are misused or awkward, such as starting sentences with 'Whlie, there are two main step' or 'At night, fist of all'. Pronoun referencing and logical progression are frequently broken, making it difficult for the reader to follow the sequence of the diagram smoothly. Overall arrangement shows some basic structural awareness, corresponding to a band score of 4.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. The student relies on simple terms from the prompt, such as 'water', 'dam', 'intake', 'generator', and 'reservoir'. There are numerous spelling and word-choice errors, including 'store' instead of 'is stored', 'throgh' instead of 'through', 'fist' instead of 'first', 'continuesly' instead of 'continuously', and 'electrisity' instead of 'electricity'. These lexical inaccuracies and limited range mean that the vocabulary struggles to convey precise meaning, placing it firmly at band 4.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting mostly of simple and attempted complex sentences that are marred by frequent, severe errors. Examples of structural and tense errors include 'The diagram depicts electricity generation through hydroelectric power station' (missing article), 'intake was open at day and flow of water in Reversible turbine' (tense mixing and preposition error), and 'water supply back side' (ungrammatical phrasing). Punctuation and verb-form control are weak throughout, causing frequent difficulty for the reader and justifying a band score of 4.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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