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)

The given below picture depict step-by-step electricity generation process in a hydroelectric power station. There are more then three steps involved in this process.

Firstly, water float from rivers and entered into Dam. Dam is the highest source of water storage.It usually opens during the day-time and closed at night. Secondly, from Dam water enters into power station, from upside down through a passage. Here, generator is avaliable, which pumps the water toward power line. Then, ultimately water enters into the national grid, where electricity is generated.

Moreover, at night usually low-level reservoir is use to run generator. In day time water moves from left to right whereas, in night time it moves from right to left. Proper pipes installed inside the power station, for the smooth running of the process.

In conclusion, a process method is needed to generate electricity inside the hydroelectric power station.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the topic and mentions the day/night change in water direction, which is relevant. However, it only minimally describes the process and contains important factual misunderstandings: the dam’s intake, not the dam itself, is open by day and closed at night; water does not enter the national grid, as electricity is transmitted there by power lines; and the generator is driven by the turbines rather than pumping water toward the lines. The account also omits the key cycle in which water passes to the low-level reservoir by day and is pumped back to the high-level reservoir at night. The conclusion adds little, and the response is four words below the required minimum. A clearer overview and accurate coverage of both operating modes are needed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure and uses sequencing signals such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion.” The day-versus-night contrast also gives the reader a simple organising thread. However, progression is not consistently clear: the account moves from the dam to the power station and then to the national grid without accurately explaining the water’s route, before introducing the night-time process separately. Some links are mechanical, and “Moreover” does not clearly show how the next point relates to the previous one. The final sentence repeats the general topic rather than bringing the stages together. Grouping the description into a clear daytime sequence followed by the reverse night-time sequence would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to identify the general subject and some process features, including “hydroelectric power station,” “low-level reservoir,” “generator,” and “national grid.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward, which sometimes makes the process difficult to understand. For example, “water float from rivers” and “water enters into the national grid” do not express the intended movement precisely; “upside down” is also unsuitable for describing flow through a conduit. Spelling errors such as “avaliable” and “then” for “than” further reduce control. Use precise process verbs and standard technical terms, such as “flows,” “is channelled,” and “is transmitted,” and check spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to combine ideas, for example, “In day time water moves from left to right whereas, in night time it moves from right to left.” Errors are frequent and occasionally make relationships unclear. Examples include “picture depict,” “water float,” “water enters,” and “reservoir is use,” where subject–verb agreement or verb forms are incorrect. Articles and sentence boundaries are also problematic: “Dam is the highest source…” needs an article, and “storage.It” lacks a space after the full stop. There is some control of basic sequencing, but a wider range of accurately formed sentences is needed. Practise present-simple passive forms for process descriptions, such as “water is channelled” and “electricity is generated.”

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