Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-16

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 above map shows Hydroelectric power station installation , converting river water into power station through various steps involved .

Overall , the river water has a high level reservoir and the dam is constructed infront of it. The dam is open in the day , and closed in the night. The dam which is built , helps the water to generate electricity in the day . The Power station is built in the depth and changes into low level reservoir which has reversible turbines that operates the entire system.

At night the reversible turbines reverse the water which then turn into high level reservoir , shows an increased flow of water pump at night. At last the generator generates power lines into the National Grid and fills the high level reservoir again , the river is filled again at night.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main components and attempt to describe both daytime generation and nighttime pumping, so the response is relevant to the process. However, key stages are unclear or inaccurately reported: the intake, turbines and generator are not explained in a reliable sequence, and the claim that the river is “filled again at night” is not shown. The overview also confuses the power station with the low-level reservoir and does not clearly summarise the system’s two-way cycle. The response is 141 words, below the required 150. To improve, describe the daytime route from the high-level reservoir through the turbines to the low-level reservoir, then explain how pumping reverses this flow at night.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an opening, an overview-like paragraph and a final paragraph about nighttime operation, and words such as “Overall,” “At night” and “At last” signal stages. This gives the reader some organisation. However, the sequence is difficult to follow because several steps are combined or presented in the wrong relationship: for example, the generator and power lines appear only at the end, after the nighttime cycle, although they are part of daytime electricity generation. Connections between ideas are also sometimes unclear, as in “The Power station is built in the depth and changes into low level reservoir.” Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the two operating modes, and link each stage in chronological order.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “reservoir,” “dam,” “reversible turbines,” “generator” and “National Grid,” which helps identify the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the process hard to understand. “Map” is not the right term for this visual, “installation” is awkward here, and “the Power station … changes into low level reservoir” does not express the intended relationship. Phrases such as “turn into high level reservoir” and “fills the high level reservoir again” also describe water movement imprecisely. Aim for accurate process verbs such as “flows,” “passes through,” “drives” and “is pumped back,” and use consistent terms for each component.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including “The dam which is built, helps the water to generate electricity in the day.” However, complex constructions are often faulty or incomplete, and errors in agreement, articles and sentence boundaries sometimes obscure the meaning. For example, “the river water has a high level reservoir” does not form a clear grammatical relationship, while “which has reversible turbines that operates” has a subject–verb agreement error. The final sentence joins several ideas with commas, making the sequence difficult to parse. Practise building clear subject–verb sentences for each stage, check singular and plural agreement, and use full stops to separate the daytime and nighttime processes.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.