Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illlustrates the process of generating electricity in a hydroelectric power station. Overall, the hydroelectric power generation is a continious to and fro process of moving water from the river to low-level reservoir to high-level reservoir during day and night respectively.

Water flowing from the river is stored in high-level reservoir with the help of dam. The water intake opens during the day allowing the water to flow from the reservoir through the turbines of the generator which converts the kinetic energy of the flowing water into electricity. Electricity generated is then stored inside the generator and transmitted through the power lines into the national grid.

The flowing water is kept inside the low-level reservoir which during the night is pumped back into the high-level reservoir. Flow of water is opposite at night as opposed to during the day. The water travels back through the same pipe and this continious daily cycle keeps on generating hydroelectricity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the hydroelectric power station and explaining the dual cycle during the day and night. However, certain aspects are somewhat under-developed or less fully explained. For instance, the transition from the low-level reservoir back to the high-level reservoir lacks finer detail regarding how the reversible turbines operate in reverse at night. The overview provided in the introduction is also slightly imprecise regarding the overall spatial flow, stating that water moves from the river to the low-level reservoir and then to the high-level reservoir, which misrepresents the primary diurnal loop between the two reservoirs. Despite these minor inaccuracies and gaps in development, the response successfully presents a clear overall picture of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression from the initial water storage to daytime electricity generation and nighttime pumping. Information and ideas are logically sequenced into paragraphs that follow the chronological and operational stages of the diagram. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'The water intake', and 'during the night' are used to connect ideas, though referencing is occasionally mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in phrases like 'The flowing water is kept inside the low-level reservoir which during the night is pumped back'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, but reaching a higher band would require smoother transitions between sentences and more flexible use of cohesive devices to avoid slight choppiness.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe the diagram with sufficient precision using terms such as 'hydroelectric power station', 'kinetic energy', 'turbines', and 'national grid'. There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'continious to and fro process', but this is marred by spelling errors like 'illlustrates' and 'continious'. Word choice is generally clear enough to communicate the core mechanics, though occasional inaccuracies in collocation or word form persist. These lexical lapses do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at the mid-level for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and participial phrases, such as 'water flowing from the river is stored' and 'which converts the kinetic energy'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('in high-level reservoir') and minor prepositions or agreement slips, but these errors rarely impede communication. The majority of simple structures are accurate, and complex structures are attempted with reasonable success. To achieve a higher band, the writer would need to produce more frequent error-free sentences and eliminate minor structural slips.

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

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