Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-17

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 5.0)

This diagram illustrate that how hydroelectric power station work and generated electricity through water and what are the techniques used in it from starting river to national grid power.

Overall, The diagram talks about how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station by the help of water and through natural process like water of river flow into dam and it shift to a small water line and it pushes reversible turbines. it creats electricity for generator after that it convert into power lines and national grid.

The water of river flow into dam at high-level reservior and than it open its gate in day and intake water but in night it closed, after that it through into a narrow water line which works in days as flow of water generate electricity, but in night flow of water during pumping by the help of reversible turbines from the back side area where water is stored.

The turbine help to generat electricity in day and in night help to flow of water by its reversible opption.

the generator starts and shift current into power lines and than national grid.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main process and include the important day/night contrast: water passes through the turbines to generate electricity during the day, while the turbines pump it back at night. You also mention the generator, power lines and national grid, so the response addresses the task. However, some stages are unclear or incomplete. For example, “it open its gate in day and in night it closed” does not clearly identify the intake, and the route from the low-level reservoir back to the high-level reservoir is only vaguely described as water coming “from the back side area.” Make the overview more precise and explain the complete cycle, including the low-level reservoir. The length requirement is met; 9 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has an introduction, an overview and further process details, and it generally follows the sequence from the river towards electricity distribution. This gives it some overall organisation. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the overview and final paragraph both say that the generator sends electricity to the power lines and national grid. Connections between stages are also sometimes unclear, particularly in the long third paragraph, where “after that,” “but,” and “by the help of” do not make the water’s route easy to follow. Use separate, clearly focused paragraphs for the overview, daytime operation and nighttime pumping, and use precise references such as “the low-level reservoir” rather than “the back side area.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “reversible turbines,” “generator,” and “national grid,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the process difficult to picture. For instance, “small water line” is vague for the conduit, “it shift to” does not describe the water’s movement naturally, and “reversible opption” is not an appropriate expression for the turbines’ function. Spelling errors such as “reservior,” “creats,” and “generat” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process terms and natural collocations, such as “flows through a conduit” and “is pumped back to the upper reservoir.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the response communicates the broad sequence despite some grammatical errors. However, control is inconsistent in sentence construction, verb forms and agreement. The opening, “This diagram illustrate that how … work,” combines an incorrect verb form with an unnecessary “that”; “The water of river flow” also needs an article and subject–verb agreement. In the long sentence beginning “The water of river flow into dam,” several clauses are joined without clear grammatical control, making the sequence harder to follow. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation, such as “Overall, The diagram.” Build accuracy with shorter sentences first, then add subordinate clauses, checking articles, verb endings and sentence boundaries.

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

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