Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-09

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 process chart illustrates the information regarding how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, the hydroelectric power station oprates in two stages. Durning the day, the water flow downhills to genrate electricity. While at night, the water flow pumped up to reservoir for reuse.

To start with,During the day, water from the high-level reservoir flows through the intake towards the power station. It turns the turbines, which operate the generator to produce electricity. The electricity is then sent to the national grid through power lines. At the same time, water moves from the upper reservior to the lower reservior through the system.

At night, the intake is closed and the turbines work in reverse. Water from the low-level reservoir is pumped back to the high-level reservoir. This process requires electricity to oprate the pumps. This water is stored and reused to generate electricity the next use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two operating phases and describe the main daytime route from the high-level reservoir through the turbines to the grid, followed by nighttime pumping back uphill. This covers the central process, but some details are unclear or inaccurate: the diagram shows the turbines driving the generator, while your phrase “This process requires electricity to operate the pumps” adds a claim not explicitly shown. The overview also says water flows “downhills,” without clearly summarising that the system recycles water between two reservoirs. The response is 141 words, below the required 150-word minimum; the nine words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add a little more precise description of the reservoirs, intake, and reversible turbines to complete the account.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for daytime and nighttime operation. The sequence within each phase is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “At night” help signal the change in process. However, some linking and punctuation are faulty: “While at night” is an incomplete contrast when used as a separate sentence, and “To start with,During the day” lacks a space and creates an awkward transition. The final sentence, “the next use,” is also unclear as a reference to the next cycle. Use complete transitions and make links between stages explicit—for example, explain that water discharged to the lower reservoir is later pumped back up.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “intake,” “turbines,” “generator,” and “national grid,” which helps communicate the stages. There is some repetition of “water” and “reservoir,” and a few choices are imprecise: “process chart” is less suitable for a diagram, while “water flow downhills” is not a natural description. Spelling errors such as “oprates,” “Durning,” “genrate,” and “reservior” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the vocabulary. Aim for precise process language and proofread carefully; terms such as “flows downhill,” “lower reservoir,” and “is pumped back” would make the account more natural and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including the relative clause in “turbines, which operate the generator” and the passive construction “is then sent to the national grid.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some sentence structures and verb forms need more control. “While at night, the water flow pumped up” is incomplete and lacks a correctly formed verb; “the water flows downhills” also has an incorrect adverb form. In “This water is stored and reused to generate electricity the next use,” the final phrase does not fit grammatically. Punctuation and spacing also need attention, particularly after “To start with,”. Practise complete contrast clauses and consistent present-simple or passive forms for describing processes.

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

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