Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The information provided in the given diagram illustrates the process of who electricity is generated in a electricity power station.

Overall, it is quite evident from the mentioned diagram that the hydroelectric power station have several stages to generate electricity from water river. Likewise, commencing the process with a river of water by storing these water into a high-level of reservior and ending the process with a ready-made electricity power supply to the national grid.

To commence with, hydroelectric power station is highly depend on the river water, when the river water enter into a high-level reservior the process begin in the dam, these water are store in a dam which will open in day time and closed in night time these are the intake of oping and closing time grames. Furthermore, the flow of water to the generate electricity will open in day time toward the turbine and the flow of water during night time will pumping in the rever order.

In the subsequent manner, there are certain reversible turbines which are used to control the flow of water during day and night. Moreover, with help of these turbines the flow of water continued toward the power station to generate electricity by using a substantial generator in day time and then these electircity distributed among local people of using power lines of the national grid. On the other hand, these turbines also control the flow of water in the low-level reservoir by allowing the water toward low-level reservoir in day time and pump water back toward high-level reservoir in night time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the hydroelectric power station diagram, covering both the day and night cycles. The overview highlights the general progression from the river and high-level reservoir to electricity generation and distribution via the national grid. However, certain aspects are under-developed or lack full clarity; for instance, the description of the intake mechanism and the reversal of water flow during the night is somewhat repetitive and vague, reflecting a level of writing that meets the core requirements while showing partial elements of higher-level task coverage. The stages of the process are generally reported in a logical sequence, but the explanation of how the reversible turbines function to pump water back to the high-level reservoir is not fully articulated.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows the chronological and cyclical progression of the process diagram. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, overall summary, and the sequential steps of the day and night operations. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, with cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'In the subsequent manner', and 'On the other hand' feeling somewhat forced or used inaccurately. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'these water are store' and 'these are the intake of oping and closing time grames', which disrupt the smooth flow of information. The organization shows clear logical progression, yet the mechanical application of transitions keeps it at this level.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to the diagram such as 'hydroelectric power station', 'high-level reservoir', 'reversible turbines', and 'national grid'. However, there is a noticeable presence of word-choice errors, incorrect word forms, and spelling mistakes—such as 'reservior', 'oping', 'grames', and 'electircity'—that occasionally impede communication. Collocations are sometimes awkward, for example stating that the power station is 'highly depend' instead of highly dependent, or that electricity is 'distributed among local people of using power lines'. While the range is sufficient to convey the basic message, these lexical slips prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure when describing the continuous processes. However, there are frequent structural errors and issues with agreement, articles, and prepositions. Examples include 'who electricity is generated', 'the hydroelectric power station have several stages', 'river water enter', and 'pumping in the rever order'. Punctuation is also weak, resulting in run-on sentences where independent clauses are incorrectly linked without proper conjunctions or full stops. These errors in grammar and punctuation can cause occasional difficulty for the reader, fitting the profile of frequent errors that persist alongside basic structural attempts.

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