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 given layout illustrates about how to produce electricity in a hydroelectric power station.
Overall,the power station takes water flow as power source that coming from river and generator inside the power station convert it into electricity.The river water flow moves from high reservoir to low reservoir during the day time and direction gets opposite at night.
Structure of this diagram includes dam and power station.The bottom of dam is used by water flow for generating electricity and pumping it back at night.Power station is having a generator that used water flow to produce electricity,power lines that leads to national grid that used for storing the electricity that is produced by generator.Intake is opened only at day time and closed at night.
The main feature is that hydroelectric power station is using water flow to generate electricity that is beneficial for people because there is limited electricity reservoir and consumption of electricity is increasing day by day.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses the main parts of the task by outlining the overall process of electricity generation and the cyclical flow between the high-level and low-level reservoirs. However, some aspects are under-developed or lack full clarity. For instance, the distinction between day and night operations is mentioned, but the description of how reversible turbines function during these periods is somewhat fragmented. The final paragraph includes outside commentary about limited energy resources, which is not required in an Academic Task 1 summary. While an overview is present, the selection of key features could be more sharply focused on the sequence of generation and pumping without unnecessary generalisations.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, allowing the reader to follow the general stages of the hydroelectric process. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. Sentences are occasionally joined with basic punctuation or lack smooth transitional markers, such as in the transition between the description of the dam and the power station. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas lacks a clear logical progression; for instance, structural components and operational phases are mixed within the same paragraphs. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it harder to track whether subjects like 'generator' or 'water flow' are being maintained smoothly across sentences.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed for the task, successfully incorporating terms from the diagram such as 'hydroelectric power station', 'reservoir', 'generator', and 'national grid'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, but this is accompanied by some inaccuracy in word choice and collocation, such as writing 'takes water flow as power source' instead of using water as a power source, or 'high reservoir' instead of high-level reservoir. Word formation errors also occur, such as 'direction gets opposite'. Nonetheless, these lexical shortcomings do not seriously impede communication and the message remains generally clear throughout.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with occasional attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with articles ('illustrates about how', 'takes water flow as power source', 'inside the power station convert'), prepositions ('flow from high reservoir'), and subject-verb agreement ('power station is having a generator that used water flow'). Punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after commas and periods, are also noticeable. While the meaning can usually be understood, the persistence of these basic errors means the grammatical control remains restricted.
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