Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-01

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 diagram illustrate the process of generating electricity from a hydroelectric power station.

overall,the process consists of many different stage of electricity generation,begining with river water to high-level resorvoir and ending with electricity generation.

initally, River water flowing from top level is reserved with help of damn. next, water flows through intake part which is opened at day and closed at night . furthermore, when water passes through the intake it goes into downard slope where structure is narrow to creat water pressure. Direction of water flow is one of the vital role here. downward water flow generate electricity during day but at night water is pumped upward. resultantly, the water rotates turbines located in powerstation generator .turbines used here is reversible which works to generate electricity during day time but at night it is uded to pump water into high-level reservoir. Subsequently, power generated by generator will go through power lines to the national grid.

finally, hydro electricity is obtained in a hydroelectric power station and provides electricity to the national grid.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of electricity generation and day-night operational differences in the hydroelectric power station. However, some aspects are more fully developed than others, and certain details are slightly imprecise. For instance, the transition between day and night cycles could have been structured more clearly to highlight the reversible nature of the process. While an overview is attempted at the beginning, it is somewhat brief and blends into the introduction. To achieve a higher band, the overview should be more distinct and comprehensive, covering the entire cyclical nature of the power station in greater depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a chronological sequence from the river to the national grid. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical due to punctuation issues and over-reliance on basic transition words like 'initially', 'furthermore', and 'finally'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the main body is condensed into a single, dense block of text rather than being broken down into logical sub-stages, such as daytime generation versus nighttime pumping. Referencing is occasionally unclear, which disrupts the smooth flow of information. Improving paragraph division and employing a wider variety of cohesive devices without mechanical repetition would enhance the overall structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic process concepts such as 'generation', 'turbines', 'reservoir', and 'national grid'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are several word choice, form, and spelling errors that reveal a lack of precision, such as 'illustrate' instead of 'illustrates', 'stage' instead of 'stages', 'begining' instead of 'beginning', 'resorvoir', 'damn' instead of 'dam', and 'uded' instead of 'used'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with occasional inaccuracy. To improve, the writer needs to expand their lexical range with more sophisticated scientific phrasing and eliminate basic spelling and word-form errors that detract from the formal tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, such as 'The diagram illustrate', missing capitalisation after punctuation marks like 'overall,the', and omitted articles before singular nouns. Complex sentences are occasionally faulty, leading to awkward phrasing like 'when water passes through the intake it goes into downard slope where structure is narrow to creat water pressure.' These errors persist throughout the text, though they rarely impede overall communication. Greater control over punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and article usage is required to reach the next band.

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