Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-10

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 4.5)

THIS DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATES THAT THE ELECTRICITY IS GENERATED IN A HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION.

TO BEGIN WITH, THE RIVER SIDE AREA CAME TO HIGH-LEVEL RESERVOIR THE DAM AND FLOW OF WATER TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY IN A DAY. THE POWER STATION STARTS THE POWER LINES AND THROUGH NATIONAL GRID.

AT NIGHT THE ENERY SLOW DOWN AND THE TURBINES ARE LOW-LEVEL RESERVOIR CAN SLOWLY BACK TO THE RIVER. THE PUMPS ARE BACK TO FLOW OF WATER INTO NIGHT CAN EASILY BE RETURN AND ITS DO NOT WORK ON THE LIGHT AREA BECAUSE IN THE SUN LIGHT THEY CAN CONECTED EASILY TO CHARGE SO THEY COMPLETE WORK AT NIGHT.

THE REVERSIBLE TURBINES ARE OPERATE THE POWER GENERATOR IN A DAY LIGHT FROM DIRECTLY TO THE SUN. THE HIGH-LEVEL RESERVOIR PUMP INTO WATER IN DARKER SIDE AND THE GATES ARE CLOSED DUE TO THE ENERGY SLOW DOWN AND THEIR IS NO CHARGE IN TO THE DAM.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the general subject and mention several relevant components, including the river, reservoirs, dam, turbines, generator and national grid. However, the process is described only minimally, and several key relationships are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the response suggests that water returns to the river at night, whereas it is pumped from the low-level reservoir back to the high-level reservoir; it also incorrectly links operation to sunlight and says the gates close because energy slows down. The day and night cycle is not explained accurately, and there is no clear overview of the station’s two-way operation. The response is also 143 words, below the required 150. To improve, report the stages and contrast daytime generation with nighttime pumping using the diagram’s labels.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has some basic sequencing signals, such as “To begin with” and “At night,” and it attempts to separate the process into stages. However, the ideas are not arranged in a clear, coherent progression: the first paragraph jumps from the reservoir to the power lines, while the later paragraphs mix nighttime pumping, sunlight, turbine operation and the dam without establishing how these stages connect. Several sentences are difficult to follow, particularly “the turbines are low-level reservoir can slowly back to the river.” Use one paragraph to explain the daytime flow from the high-level reservoir through the turbines to the grid, and another to explain the reverse nighttime flow. Clear references and simple linking phrases would make the sequence easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “power station,” “national grid” and “reversible turbines,” showing an attempt to describe the diagram’s subject. However, the range is basic and several word choices or combinations make the meaning unclear. Phrases such as “the energy slow down,” “the turbines are low-level reservoir” and “the gates are closed due to the energy slow down” do not accurately express the process. There are also spelling errors, including “enery” and “conected.” Build a more precise set of process terms and use natural combinations such as water “flows through” turbines, electricity “is transmitted” to the grid, and water is “pumped back” to the upper reservoir.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to form several sentences and use basic time references such as “in a day” and “at night,” but grammatical control is inconsistent and errors frequently obscure the process. For example, “the river side area came to high-level reservoir” has an unclear subject and incorrect verb construction, while “the reversible turbines are operate the power generator” uses an incorrect verb form. Sentence boundaries and clause relationships are also difficult to follow in the long final sentences. Practise writing short, complete process sentences with a clear subject and verb, such as “During the day, water flows through the turbines” and “At night, the turbines pump water back uphill.” Then combine these accurately using time clauses.

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