Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-19

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 the sequential stages involved in the production of electricity from a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, the process consists of five principle stages, commencing with river to create high level reservoir with the help of dam and culminating in the generation of electricity in a power lines.

The process begins with the dam during day time, through which high level of water quantity is stored. Once this initial step has been completed, water is being dropped onto the motors of generator, thereby preparing it for the subsequent stage. This is followed by a next step, whereby with the help of running water generators are turned on and electricity is produced, which later on transformed to national grid.

Subsequently, water from low level reservoir is being tranformed to high level during night time. Having undergone this process, it is then again utilized to produced electricity in the day by running the same generators. Ultimately, the process is renewable yielding electricity by using the same water again and again.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the diagram as a process and include its central feature: water is reused, moving from the low-level reservoir back to the high-level reservoir at night. The overview also recognises electricity generation and the national grid. However, the account does not clearly explain the full day-and-night cycle: it says water is dropped onto “the motors of generator” and that generators are turned on, but does not accurately describe the turbines driving the generator as water flows down from the high-level reservoir. The claim of “five principle stages” is not supported by a clear stage-by-stage account, and the dam’s role in holding the reservoir is only briefly mentioned. Make the two operating modes explicit and describe the main components and flow directions more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a sequence of process details. Connectors such as “Overall,” “Once this initial step has been completed,” and “Subsequently” help signal progression, and the final sentence returns to the idea of water reuse. This gives the account a coherent overall arrangement. Some links, however, are mechanical or unclear: “This is followed by a next step” does not identify the relationship between the stages, while “Having undergone this process” has an uncertain reference. The day and night stages are also split across paragraphs in a way that makes the cycle harder to follow. Group the daytime generation sequence together, then explain the nighttime pumping sequence and its connection back to the start.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “sequential stages,” “culminating,” “national grid,” and “renewable,” and the reader can generally understand the intended meaning. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing. Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram: “motors of generator” does not name the turbines clearly, “water quantity is stored” is awkward, and “transformed to high level” does not precisely describe pumping water back to the reservoir. Spelling and word-form slips such as “principle” for “principal,” “tranformed,” and “produced” also reduce precision. Prefer the diagram’s specific terms—reservoir, intake, reversible turbines, generator—and use natural process collocations to describe movement and operation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including subordinate clauses with “Once” and “whereby,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, some errors in verb forms, articles, and sentence construction make parts of the process difficult to interpret. For example, “commencing with river to create high level reservoir” lacks necessary articles and a clear grammatical relationship, while “it is then again utilized to produced electricity” uses an incorrect verb form. “Water is being dropped” and “water … is being tranformed” also use progressive passive forms where a simple present passive would describe a general process more naturally. Practise concise present-simple descriptions of diagram stages, checking subject–verb relationships, articles, and infinitives after “to.”

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