Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-22

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 4.5)

This diagram show about How to created in a Hydroelectric Power station

overall , It was first step river put high-level reservoir in dam and Last step was reversible turbines after that Generator power station

Firstly,River was intaken high-level reservoir in dam.after Water flowed to generate electricity on day and During night time had been pumping to flow water intake closed

secondly,Reversible turbines operated generator by low-level reservior and Water was pump into hidh-level reservoir so which was geneeated power satation and supplyed by power lines thuogh nation grid

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the main subject and mention several relevant components, including the river, reservoirs, intake, turbines, generator and power lines. However, the account is very brief and the process is only minimally described. The overview that the “Last step was reversible turbines” is inaccurate: the turbines are part of the cycle, while electricity is sent through power lines to the national grid, and water returns to the low-level reservoir by day. The day/night distinction is also unclear; the intake is open by day and closed at night, when water is pumped back uphill. The response is 61 words below the required minimum, leaving important stages and the overall cycle underdeveloped. Describe the complete sequence and give a clear overview of how the system operates in both periods.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, using “overall,” “Firstly” and “secondly,” and the reader can recognise that you are describing a process. However, the sequence does not progress clearly: the overview says the turbines are the last step, while the later sentences return to them before mentioning the generator and grid. Connections between stages are also difficult to follow, particularly in “so which was geneeated power satation.” The day and night operations are mixed together rather than presented as two linked parts of a cycle. Use separate, logically ordered sentences for the daytime flow and nighttime pumping, and connect each stage with clear sequencing language such as “then,” “afterwards” and “at night.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “reversible turbines,” “generator” and “power lines,” so the topic is identifiable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the meaning difficult to understand. For example, “River was intaken” is not a natural way to describe the river feeding the reservoir, and “supplyed by power lines thuogh nation grid” obscures how electricity is transmitted. There are also spelling errors such as “reservior,” “hidh-level” and “geneeated.” Learn accurate collocations for describing processes, such as water “flows into” a reservoir and electricity “is transmitted to” the national grid, and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to use sequencing and time references, including “Firstly” and “During night time,” but sentence structures are very limited and frequent grammatical errors make relationships between stages unclear. For instance, “This diagram show about How to created” has problems with agreement and verb form, while “Water flowed to generate electricity on day” does not use a clear, accurate tense or article pattern. The sentence beginning “secondly” joins several actions without a reliable grammatical structure, making it hard to tell what operates or where the water goes. Practise simple present passive forms for process descriptions, such as “Water is released” and “Electricity is sent,” and build one complete sentence for each stage. Check subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence boundaries.

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