Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-18

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 provided process diagram illustrates the prosedures of the hydroelectric power station operation . The detailed steps will be discused in this essay as following :

The main idea of the power station in to produce electricity by natural resource like water, and the main source of water here is a river which pour into a high-level reservior,then the standed dam was builded to generate the force required to operate the turbines .

Furthermore, the turbines is reversible to serve as generator at day , while at night it pump water back into the high-level reservoir.

The turbines transfer the power to the generator then through power lines to the final destination national grid of electricity .

The over flow of water witch introdued to turbines will continue to the low-level reservoir at day .

In conclusion the hydroelectric power stations is considered a very important alternative source of electricity by the power of natural resource and can compensate the huge demand on electricity in daily life .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main purpose of the process and include several key stages: river water enters the high-level reservoir, the turbines operate differently by day and night, and electricity is sent through power lines to the national grid. The contrast between daytime generation and nighttime pumping is an important feature and is reported accurately. However, some details are unclear or imprecise: the dam is described as being built to “generate the force,” and the account does not clearly explain that water flows from the high-level reservoir through the intake and turbines to the low-level reservoir during the day. The final comment about meeting electricity demand is not shown by the diagram. A more complete, diagram-focused account of the sequence would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable order, moving from the water source to the turbines, electricity transmission and the low-level reservoir. Paragraph breaks also separate the opening from the process details. However, progression is not consistently clear: “Furthermore” introduces the day/night turbine operation, while “The turbines transfer the power” makes it sound as though the turbines themselves send electricity to the grid. The final “In conclusion” shifts from describing the diagram to giving a general opinion, which weakens the focus and ending. Some links are mechanical, and the sequence would be easier to follow if each stage were connected explicitly, including the route from the high-level reservoir through the intake and back to the low-level reservoir.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “reversible,” “turbines,” “generator,” and “national grid,” which helps communicate the subject. There is also some attempt at more formal wording, such as “alternative source of electricity.” However, spelling errors such as “prosedures,” “discused,” and “reservior” are noticeable, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: a river “flows” into a reservoir rather than “pour[s]” into it, and water is not “introduced to turbines.” “The turbines transfer the power” is also imprecise for describing electricity generation and transmission. Choose standard process verbs and check spelling carefully to make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a mixture of simple and more complex structures, including a contrast between daytime and nighttime operation and a relative clause in “which pour into a high-level reservior.” However, errors in sentence construction and control are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “the main idea … in to produce,” “the turbines is reversible,” and “at night it pump,” where verb forms and subject–verb agreement are incorrect. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “to the final destination national grid of electricity” and the spacing and punctuation around several commas. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes, checking agreement and clause structure, while retaining the useful day/night contrast.

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