Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The pictorial evidence below demonstrates the process of electricity production in a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, in the process different steps take place in the day and night. Flow of water is in different direction in day and night. Electricity generated is supplied through power lines to national grid. Reversible turbines are used to operate generator in day, while for pumping at night.

In the beginning water from river is stored in the dam, water intake is open during the day, whereas closed at night. In the day flow of water is directed towards low-level reservoir for the generation of electricity by energy produced by the reversible generators, while it is moved towards high-level reservoir in night when pumping is in the process by reversible generators .

In the last stage, electricity produced by generator in the prower station is supplied to national grid by power lines.In the day reversible generators move clock-wise, whereas anti-clock-wise at night.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the key contrast between daytime generation and nighttime pumping, and your overview also notes that electricity reaches the national grid through power lines. These are central features of the diagram. The account of the main cycle is broadly relevant, but some details are unclear or inaccurate: water is stored in the high-level reservoir behind the dam, rather than simply “in the dam,” and the turbines—not “reversible generators”—drive the process. The final claim that they move “clock-wise” and “anti-clock-wise” is not shown in the diagram. To strengthen the response further, describe the sequence more precisely, including the generator’s connection to the turbines and the return of water from the low-level reservoir to the high-level reservoir at night.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the process. The contrast markers “whereas” and “while” help distinguish daytime and nighttime operations, and the reader can follow the broad cycle. However, the sequence is not consistently clear: the paragraph beginning “In the beginning” combines the intake, water movement and electricity generation, while the final paragraph repeats the electricity supply information already mentioned in the overview. Some links between stages are also missing, particularly how water passes through the turbines and returns to the upper reservoir. Organise the body in a clearer chronological order and use references such as “this water” only when their meaning is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “low-level reservoir,” “intake,” “pumping” and “national grid,” which gives the description an appropriate technical focus. There is also some variety in how you describe movement, such as “directed towards” and “moved towards.” However, several word choices or collocations reduce precision: “reversible generators” confuses the turbines with the generator, and “energy produced by the reversible generators” does not accurately describe the process. “Pictorial evidence” is also an unnatural way to introduce a diagram, and “prower” is a spelling error. Choose the diagram’s exact labels where possible and use standard process language to make each stage precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including contrasts with “whereas” and “while,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, sentence construction and punctuation. For example, “water from river” needs an article, and “water intake is open during the day, whereas closed at night” omits the subject and verb in the second clause. The sentence beginning “In the day flow of water…” is also overloaded, making the relationships between its clauses difficult to follow. There are punctuation problems where sentences run together, as in “power lines.In the day.” Use complete clauses, check articles and prepositions, and divide complex process descriptions into shorter sentences.

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