Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-12

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 diagram illustrates the process of generated electricity in a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, the hydroelectric power station facilitates different types of features and activities to produce electricity from river to national grid.The system of generating power acts diversely day to night.

At first, water from river goes through high level reservoir, where the dam intake which opens at day, the over flow of water then generates electricity. Then, the turbines of the generator started moving clockwise to create power at station which comes from the electricity and then it goes through power lines to national locality. Additionally, somer of the power supply moving tiwards low level reservour and dissolves at day

On the other hand, at night the reversible turbines started pumping water into high level reservoir, where the flow of water pumping towards the dam, and that time the intake remains closed.

In summary, the production system of electricity are totally reversing during day and night.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the process as hydroelectric generation and give a useful overview that the system operates differently by day and night. The response also includes several relevant stages: water passes from the high-level reservoir through the intake, turbines and generator, while power is sent via lines to the grid; at night, water is pumped back uphill and the intake is closed. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate. For example, the diagram shows water flowing to the low-level reservoir during the day, not “dissolv[ing]” there, and it does not indicate that the turbines move clockwise. The relationship between the generator and turbines is also muddled. Make the two operating cycles more precise and explain the day/night reversal clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction and overview, a description of daytime operation, a contrast beginning “On the other hand,” and a concluding summary. This gives the reader a broad sense of the process and its sequence. However, progression within the daytime paragraph is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in “Then, the turbines of the generator started moving clockwise to create power at station which comes from the electricity.” The link between the generator, power lines and low-level reservoir is not clearly expressed, and the final “In summary” repeats the overview rather than adding a clear synthesis. Use one paragraph for the daytime cycle and another for the night cycle, with explicit links between each stage.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “high level reservoir,” “reversible turbines,” “power lines” and “national grid,” which helps identify the main components. However, word choice and collocation are often imprecise and sometimes obscure the process. “National locality” is not an appropriate substitute for “national grid,” while “dissolves” does not describe water entering a reservoir. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “somer,” “tiwards” and “reservour.” Aim for accurate process verbs and consistent technical terms rather than adding vague phrases such as “different types of features and activities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer clauses, including a contrast between daytime and nighttime operation. Some sentence structures communicate the broad sequence, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction make several passages difficult to interpret. For example, “the turbines of the generator started moving” shifts into the past tense, while the process description should use the present simple; “the production system of electricity are” also has subject–verb disagreement. The clause beginning “where the dam intake which opens at day” is incomplete or awkwardly joined. Use present-tense verbs consistently and build longer sentences around clear subjects and verbs, checking agreement and clause boundaries.

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