Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-04

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 process illustrate how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station. There are many stages in this process, starting from river and finishing with Natonal grid. Overall, it is a process of generating electricity. The whole work done by natural flows of water.

First, River flows in the direction of Dam. The dam intake was open in day and closed at night. After that, their are two times of water flowing. First time was Day, in which water generate a electricity. Second time was night, in which water flowing through pumping. Futhermore, reversible turbines operated generator at day time. On the other hand, pump water into high-level reservoir at night. However, the whole hydroelectric power station day contribution is high than night. Because the day process is natural the night is artificial. Powerstation made up electricity through generator. Generator give energy to National grid the use of power lines.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, as it attempts to summarise the diagram showing how a hydroelectric power station generates electricity. However, the length requirement is not met, as the response contains only 141 words, falling short of the 150-word minimum. While an overview is attempted and some main features like the day and night cycles are mentioned, the explanation of the process lacks sufficient development and clarity. There are also inaccuracies in reporting the visual data, such as claiming the day contribution is higher than night or that the process is 'artificial' at night, which misinterprets the cyclic nature of the closed-loop pumping system shown in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation in the response, moving chronologically from the river to the national grid and describing the day and night phases. However, there is no clear overall progression due to fragmented and disjointed sentences. Paragraphing is basic and lacks logical grouping of ideas. Cohesive devices are either missing, inadequate, or repetitive, making the text feel jumpy. For instance, transitional phrases like 'First', 'After that', and 'However' are used mechanically rather than to build a smooth, cohesive argument. Referencing is also unclear in places, making it difficult for the reader to follow the exact sequence of events between the high-level and low-level reservoirs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The writer relies heavily on basic terms borrowed directly from the prompt, such as 'river', 'dam', 'turbines', and 'generator'. There are noticeable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'Natonal grid' (spelling error), 'generate a electricity' (article misuse), 'flowing through pumping' (awkward collocation), and 'Powerstation made up electricity' (incorrect verb choice). These errors and limited range restrict the precision required for an Academic Task 1 response, though the core meaning can still be understood despite occasional difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent errors in complex structures. There are persistent grammatical issues throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement errors ('The process illustrate', 'their are two times'), tense inconsistencies ('River flows... was open... generate a'), and missing or incorrect prepositions ('at day time', 'give energy to National grid'). Punctuation and article usage are also faulty in multiple places. These frequent errors cause strain and difficulty for the reader, limiting the grammatical score.

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