Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
The diagram below depicts how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.
Overall, the process shows two separate main stages during day and night. Dam stays open during the day time while the water flows toward the reservoir whereas, the water flows opposite toward the dam at the night time.
During the day time, water from high-level reservoir move towards power station. Electricity get generated from the reserved water. Thereafter the generated electricity get transferred to power lines, which is connected to national grid for storage of generated electricity. The power station further move the water toward the low-water reservoir through reversible turbines and the water is stored there.
During the night time, water from the low-water reservoir get reversed with the help of reversible turbines. The water then pumped up with it toward the gate of dam that push the water further upward back to the high-level reservoir.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
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 during both the day and night cycles. However, the length requirement is not met, as the text contains only 141 words (excluding 9 words copied directly from the prompt), falling short of the 150-word minimum. The overview is somewhat basic, noting the two stages ('Overall, the process shows two separate main stages during day and night'), but some details are slightly inaccurate or under-developed, such as stating that 'Dam stays open during the day time', whereas the diagram specifies that the intake opens and closes while the dam remains static. Ideas are relevant, but the mechanical nature of the process description prevents it from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure dividing the introduction, overview, day cycle, and night cycle. Progression is visible, moving chronologically through the process from the high-level reservoir to the power station and national grid, and then reversing at night. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases feel abrupt ('Thereafter', 'The power station further move'), and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'the water then pumped up with it toward the gate of dam', which creates confusion regarding the antecedents of pronouns and cohesive elements.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms related to the diagram such as 'hydroelectric power station', 'reversible turbines', 'national grid', and 'high-level reservoir'. However, there are noticeable word choice and word formation inaccuracies that restrict the score, such as 'low-water reservoir' instead of 'low-level reservoir', 'day time' instead of 'daytime', and awkward collocations like 'Electricity get generated' and 'water from the low-water reservoir get reversed'. Despite these slips, communication is not impeded, and the vocabulary remains sufficient to convey the core mechanical processes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses ('power lines, which is connected to national grid') and prepositional phrases. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with passive voice constructions ('Electricity get generated', 'water... get reversed') and subject-verb agreement ('the power station further move', 'water... get reversed'). Articles are also occasionally missing or misused ('at the night time', 'to national grid'). Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the sentence structures remain reasonably varied for an intermediate level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.