Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-15

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 how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, the process involves storing water in a high level reservior, uding its flow to generate electricity and realising it into a lower level reservoir. Intrestingly, the system operates diffrently during the day and at night.

initially, river water is collected in a high level reservoir behind a dam. duuring the daytime, the intake is opened, allowing water to flow downhill through a large pipe towards the power station. The force of the flowing water drives a reversible turbine, which operates a generator to produce electricity. the elctricity is then transmitted to the national grid through power lines. After passing through the power station, the wateris dischage into a low level reservoir.

At night, the process is reversed. E;ectricity from the national grid is used to operate the generator as a motor, Which drives the turbine in the opposite direction. As a result, water is pumped from the low level reservoir. this allows the water to be stored and reused for generating electridcity during the following day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers the main stages and gives a clear overview of the day–night cycle: water flows from the high-level reservoir through the station by day, then is pumped back at night. It also correctly mentions the dam, intake, reversible turbine, generator, power lines and national grid. This selection and explanation make the process easy to understand. However, the night-time account is not fully precise: the diagram shows the intake closed at night and water being pumped from the low-level reservoir through the reversible turbines to the high-level reservoir. The response says electricity from the grid operates the generator as a motor, which is not shown, and does not explicitly state the intake’s night-time status. Keep the description closely tied to the labelled stages and avoid adding mechanisms not indicated.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression, with an introduction, an overview, a daytime sequence and a separate paragraph for the night cycle. Time markers such as “initially,” “during the daytime,” “After passing through,” and “At night” help the reader follow the process. The contrast between the two operating modes is also easy to identify. To make the organisation more polished, ensure each sentence begins consistently and use references that clearly identify the water or machinery being discussed. For example, “After passing through the power station” is understandable, but the transition to the low-level reservoir could be stated more directly. The ideas are logically arranged, though some linking and presentation choices still interrupt the otherwise clear flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant process vocabulary, including “reservoir,” “intake,” “reversible turbine,” “generator,” “transmitted,” and “national grid.” These terms show an appropriate range for describing the diagram. However, spelling errors are frequent and sometimes make the text less fluent, including “reservior,” “Intrestingly,” “diffrently,” “elctricity,” and “electridcity.” There are also inaccurate or awkward choices: “realising it into a lower level reservoir” does not naturally describe water being released, and “large pipe” is less precise than “conduit” or “channel.” Aim for accurate spelling and standard process collocations, and use the diagram’s terminology where possible. This would make the vocabulary more reliable and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a useful mix of sentence forms, including a complex clause in “allowing water to flow downhill” and the contrastive sentence “At night, the process is reversed.” Most stages remain understandable. However, control is weakened by errors in sentence boundaries and capitalisation: “initially” and “the elctricity” begin sentences with lowercase letters, while “Which” is incorrectly capitalised after a comma. There are also faulty forms in “the wateris dischage into a low level reservoir,” where the verb construction is incomplete, and “this allows the water” again starts with a lowercase letter. Review sentence boundaries, subject–verb structure and consistent tense when describing the process. More accurate control of these patterns would make the range of structures clearer.

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