Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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

Overall, it can be seen that the power station is constructed on a river and consists of two important sections. The first one is a dam that blocks the river and the second one is the power station section with the generator itself.

The dam is built in order to create a high-level reservoir with the intake that provides the powerful flow of water. The diagram captions say that the intake is opened during the day but closed overnight. Therefore, the generator operates at daytime only as well pumping water into high-level reservoir at night.

Eventually, when water comes to the power station, it rotates the reversible turbines of the generator. Consequently, the power lines conduct the electricity to the national grid. Meanwhile, the water flows to the low-level reservoir that is the final element of the diagram.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main purpose and give a useful overview of the dam and power-station sections, then describe the daytime flow and electricity reaching the national grid. These points address the task and are generally relevant. However, some important stages are only partly explained: the water’s route from the low-level reservoir back through the turbines at night is not clearly described, and the statement that the generator operates only in daytime is not fully reconciled with the night-time pumping cycle. The overview also says the station is “constructed on a river,” which is less precise than explaining that the river feeds the high-level reservoir. More complete coverage of both operating modes, with their sequence made explicit, would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the dam and the power-generation process. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Therefore,” and “Consequently” help guide the reader, and the main stages are presented in a broadly logical order. At times, however, the links between stages are not sufficiently clear. “Therefore” introduces the day/night operation, but the relationship between daytime generation and night-time pumping remains confusing; “Eventually” also does not clearly signal the next stage in a cyclical process. The final sentence shifts to the low-level reservoir without explaining how water returns there at night. Make the two operating cycles distinct and use transitions that show sequence and contrast precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “intake,” “reversible turbines,” “power lines,” and “national grid.” These terms make the subject clear, and phrases such as “conduct the electricity” show an attempt to vary expression. Some choices are imprecise or awkward for describing this diagram: “obtaining electricity” is less natural than “generating electricity,” while “powerful flow” adds a quality not shown in the visual. “The generator itself” is also vague, and “the final element” does not accurately convey that the low-level reservoir is part of a cycle. Aim for precise process verbs and avoid adding descriptive claims that the diagram does not support.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the relative clause in “a high-level reservoir with the intake that provides…” and the contrast in “but closed overnight.” Several sentences are error-free and the meaning is generally easy to follow. A few grammatical problems remain. In “as well pumping water,” the construction should be “as well as pumping water”; “into high-level reservoir” needs an article (“into the high-level reservoir”); and “when water comes to the power station” would be more naturally expressed with a suitable article or plural form. The sentence beginning “Therefore” also makes the relationship between the generator’s operation and pumping unclear. More consistent article use and carefully formed parallel structures would improve control.

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