Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-05

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 rendered diagram depicts the procedure involved in electricity generation in a hydroelectric power station.

There are majorly 7 entities involved in conversion of water current from the river to electricity that can be provided to citizens through power lines.

To begin with, the water from the river is accumulated by a high-level reservoir like a dam,then the rapid downward flow of this water during the day helps generate electricity while the upward flow during pumping occurs at night.

Probing further,the water reaches a power station with a generator where reversible turbines are used for elecricity production.These turbines operate the generator during the day while pump the remaining water into low level reservour during the night.The electricity thus generated moves from this power station to a National Grid through power lines.And hence the electricity trhat aids various equipments like fans, air conditions, light bulbs in our households is made available.

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 process, covering both day and night operations such as electricity generation and water pumping. However, some aspects are under-developed or less fully explained. For instance, the transition between the high-level reservoir, the intake, and the reversible turbines is described, but certain details regarding the physical layout and structural flow are generalized. The overview touches upon the main stages, yet it lacks a sharper summarization of the dual-cycle nature of the system. To reach a higher level, the response would need to extend and fully develop the reporting of all key features with greater precision and clarity throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from the river through the reservoir, power station, and ultimately to the national grid and households. Paragraphing is utilized to separate different stages of the process, moving from introduction to accumulation and then to generation. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or slightly faulty, noticeable in phrases like 'To begin with' and 'Probing further', which feel somewhat forced for a process description. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and punctuation slips around conjunctions and commas disrupt the smooth flow of ideas. To achieve a higher band, the use of cohesive devices needs to be more flexible and natural, and referencing within and across sentences must be tighter.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'accumulated', 'reversible turbines', and 'national grid'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and spelling, such as 'elecricity', 'reservour', 'trhat', and 'conditions' instead of 'air conditioners', alongside minor awkward collocations like 'conversion of water current'. Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear and communication is not impeded. To move to the next level, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire, improve word formation, and ensure accurate spelling and collocation when using specialized terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'electricity that can be provided' and 'water from the river is accumulated'. However, there are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing spaces after commas, run-on structures like 'dam,then', and minor verb agreement issues such as 'while pump the remaining water'. These errors persist throughout the text, though they rarely impede communication. To reach a higher standard, the writer needs to increase the proportion of error-free sentences, exercise better control over punctuation and complex sentence structures, and refine prepositional use and verb forms.

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

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