Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the process of electricity generation in hydroelectric power station.

Overall, flow of water is used to generate electricity. A generator is placed in power station which turns flow of water into electricity.

Firstly, Dam is placed in river which is used to control the flow of water. It is opened during day while closed at night. When the Dam is opened, water flows from Dam to generator. Generator is used to produce electricity from the flow of water. When water pass through its turbines, the rotation of wings produce electricity which is then transferred to power line or National grid.

The turbines are reversible. During day, these turbines operate generator while during night, these turbines are used to pump water from low-level reservoir to high-level reservoir. In this way, turbines creates a water cycle in which water moves from low to high and high to low level reservoir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main operating cycle and provide an overview, noting that water generates electricity by day and is pumped back at night. The explanation of the reversible turbines is especially relevant, and the sequence from the reservoir through the power station to the grid is broadly represented. This meets the task well, though some details are less fully or precisely reported: the river feeds the high-level reservoir, and the diagram shows water passing through the intake and conduit to the turbines, rather than flowing directly from the dam to the generator. The description of the water cycle is useful but could clarify the low-level reservoir’s role. More exact reporting of these stages would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a brief overview, and then an explanation of the daytime and nighttime processes. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” and time markers such as “During day” and “during night” help readers follow the cycle. However, the progression is sometimes mechanical, and repeated references to “generator” and “turbines” make the explanation less smooth. The link between the dam, intake, conduit, and power station could be made clearer before describing electricity transmission. Also, “In this way” introduces a summary that partly repeats the preceding sentence. Use more precise referencing and connect each stage explicitly to the next to strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “reversible,” “low-level reservoir,” “pump,” and “National grid,” which helps communicate the main stages. Some choices are imprecise or repetitive, however. “Wings” is not the appropriate term for turbine components, and “Dam” is repeatedly used where “water” or “the intake” would describe the movement more accurately. Phrases such as “flow of water” and “produce electricity” recur, limiting flexibility. There are also awkward collocations, including “turns flow of water into electricity.” Aim for more precise process language and vary verbs—for example, describe water as passing through the turbines and the generator as converting mechanical energy into electrical power.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex structures, including the contrast in “while during night” and the relative clause “which is then transferred.” Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. Articles are missing in “in hydroelectric power station” and “from low to high and high to low level reservoir”; the latter also needs plural agreement or a clearer construction. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “water pass” and “turbines creates,” and “the rotation of wings produce” also has a singular subject followed by a plural verb. Review articles, verb agreement, and plural forms, then proofread each sentence. Greater accuracy in these patterns would improve control while retaining your range of sentence forms.

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