Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-21

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 diagram illustrates the process of electricity generation in a hydroelectric power station.

Overall, the process begins from river water in dam and ends on national grid while, day and night process is different.

Initially, the dam stores water in high level reserver and intake of water is open for day but closed for night time. In second stage water flows towords for next process and at that stage water pumpes back in the night in the revers direction.

After that water reaches in power station and it works as a high level reversible turbines. In the day time there generator operates and electricity produces but at night high level resevoir workes and power moves back. In the final stage, electic power moves to power lines and there is wires that takes electricity to national grid station for using in homes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a hydroelectric process and mention its key day/night distinction, including the intake being open by day and closed at night. However, the account only partially reports the stages and contains important inaccuracies: water does not simply move back at night, and the turbines do not become a “high level” part of the station. The overview that the process ends at the national grid also misses the cycle, in which water returns to the high-level reservoir at night. The response is also below the required 150 words. To strengthen the report, describe the full route through both reservoirs, turbines, generator and grid, then explain the reverse pumping cycle accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing stages. Sequencing phrases such as “Initially,” “In second stage,” and “After that” help signal order. However, progression is not consistently clear because the stages are compressed and some references are difficult to follow. For example, “at that stage” does not clearly identify which part of the process is meant, while “at night high level reservoir workes” leaves the relationship between the reservoir and the pumping cycle unclear. The final sentence focuses on electricity reaching the grid without linking this to the water’s return. Organise the account into a clear daytime sequence followed by the nighttime reverse cycle, using precise references to each component.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “reservoir,” “intake,” “reversible turbines,” “generator,” and “power lines,” which gives the response a minimally adequate range for the topic. However, inaccurate word choice and spelling sometimes make the process difficult to understand. Phrases such as “water flows towords for next process,” “water pumpes back in the revers direction,” and “high level reversible turbines” do not describe the stages clearly. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “reserver,” “resevoir,” and “electic.” Aim for precise process collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe water as flowing through a conduit and being pumped back to the upper reservoir.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast “intake of water is open for day but closed for night time.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “The process begins from river water in dam,” which has missing or incorrect articles and prepositions, and “there generator operates and electricity produces,” where the verb forms and sentence structure are faulty. “In the final stage, electic power moves to power lines and there is wires” also shows problems with agreement and clause construction. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions and use complete subject–verb structures, such as “The generator produces electricity, which is transmitted to the national grid.”

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