Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-08

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 figure shows the working of the hydroelectric power plants.It can be seen that how water can be used to generate the electricity. The process starts from storing the water in a high-level reservoir generally known as dams, which come through a river. The power plants work in day as well as in nights. In the day, it generates the electricty, whereas in nights it pumps the water back to the reservoir. The actual working can be explained as in the day the water is flow towards the turbines, which rotates and then the generator gets energy. This electrical energy then transformed to power lines and then to the national grid. Now in the night, the same turbine works opposite compare to the day and act as an reversible mechanism. The water stored from the day in a low-level reservoir is pumped back in the night to the high-level reservoir through the use of reversible turbine. This working keeps going on, and hence the electricty gets generated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a cycle and include its two operating modes: water generates electricity during the day, while at night it is pumped back to the high-level reservoir. You also report the main route from the turbines through the generator and power lines to the national grid. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the high-level reservoir is not “generally known as dams,” and the response does not clearly explain that water passes from the high-level reservoir through the intake to the low-level reservoir during daytime operation. The final claim that electricity continues to be generated during the night conflicts with the diagram, which shows pumping then. A more precise overview and clearer account of both directions of water flow would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly sensible sequence, moving from the reservoir to daytime generation and then to nighttime pumping. The contrast signalled by “whereas” and “Now in the night” helps distinguish the two stages, and the final sentences return to the cycle. However, the ideas are presented in one paragraph, and some links are awkward or unclear, such as “The actual working can be explained as in the day.” The repeated use of “in the day” and “in the night” also makes cohesion somewhat mechanical. Separate the overview from the process details, and use clearer transitions such as “During daytime operation” and “At night, by contrast” to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “turbines,” “generator,” “power lines,” and “national grid,” so the reader can follow the general subject. There is also an attempt to describe the cycle with phrases such as “pumped back.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “working of the hydroelectric power plants” is less suitable than describing how a station operates, and “the same turbine works opposite” does not clearly express the reversible action. “Electricty” is misspelled more than once, and “gets energy” is vague. Aim for precise process verbs and accurate spelling, for example “water flows,” “drives the turbines,” and “electricity is transmitted.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and attempts at longer structures, including the contrast between daytime and nighttime operation. Meaning is generally recoverable, but errors occur across sentence patterns and verb forms. For example, “It can be seen that how water can be used” has an unnecessary “that,” while “the water is flow towards the turbines” uses an incorrect verb form. The sentence “This electrical energy then transformed” is missing an auxiliary, and “the same turbine works opposite compare to the day” has faulty structure. There are also article and agreement problems, as in “an reversible mechanism.” Review passive constructions, verb forms, and articles, then proofread punctuation and spacing around sentence boundaries.

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