Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-07

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 digram given below show about how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.

Overall it is evident that the hydroelectric power station starts with river at high level reservoir and ends with low level reservior.

On a closer observation it can be seen that flow of water to generate electricity only takes place during day time.The intake of water from the dam is open during day time and closed during night time.Flow of water during pumping at night is low level reservior which flows back to the river at high level reservior and exits the dam during day time.

Further more it can also be seen that reversible turbines operate the generator during day time and pumps water into high level reservoir during night.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as hydroelectric generation and mention the key day/night contrast: the intake is open by day and closed at night, while the turbines generate electricity during the day and pump water at night. However, the overview that the process “starts with river at high level reservoir and ends with low level reservior” is incomplete, because it misses the cycle in which water is returned to the high-level reservoir at night. The description also incorrectly says the water pumped at night “flows back to the river” and that it exits the dam during the day; the diagram shows it returning from the low-level reservoir to the high-level reservoir. The response is 117 words, below the 150-word minimum, and nine words copied from the prompt were not counted. Develop the stages more fully and report the cycle accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic progression from an opening statement to an overview and then details, and phrases such as “Overall” and “On a closer observation” signal the move between ideas. The day/night information is also grouped together, which helps the reader follow the main contrast. However, the sequence is not consistently clear: the sentence about night pumping says water returns to the river, then says it exits the dam during the day, making the direction of the process difficult to follow. The final sentence adds turbine functions but does not connect them clearly to the preceding stages. Use separate, logically ordered sentences for daytime flow and nighttime pumping, with clear references to the two reservoirs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “high level reservoir,” “intake,” “reversible turbines,” and “generator,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, the range is limited and several choices or spellings reduce precision: “digram” and “reservior” are misspelled, while “starts with river at high level reservoir” and “flow of water during pumping at night is low level reservior” are awkward or unclear. “Further more” is also incorrectly written as two words. Aim for accurate, natural process language and vary repeated uses of “flow” and “water.” For example, describe water as being “released from” or “pumped back into” a reservoir, and use “the high-level reservoir” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few complex structures, including “it is evident that…” and “it can also be seen that…,” but most sentences rely on similar introductory patterns, so the range remains limited. Frequent errors in sentence structure and basic grammar sometimes make the process difficult to understand. For example, “The digram given below show” has subject–verb disagreement, and “starts with river at high level reservoir” is missing necessary articles. The sentence beginning “Flow of water during pumping at night is…” is not formed clearly enough to express the direction of movement. Practise constructing direct sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, agreement, and punctuation. A clearer pattern would be: “At night, water is pumped from the low-level reservoir back to the high-level reservoir.”

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