Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-24

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)

First of all, water from glaciers are stored by using a dam.When water fills the dam, worker will slowly opens the gate of the dam at day time. The water will follow streamline flow to the power station and rotates the reversible turbines. At night time the water is pumped into high level reservoir which will increase the pressure and at day time it is used to operate generator. When water flows through the turbines it will rotate causing the rotation of the generator in the power station, which will result in the producing of electricity. High power lines are connected to the generator which will carry current. The electricity is now ready to be used and supply to the whole area and the electricity produced by following this whole process is called hydro electricity which is very sufficient and cheap way to produce electricity. This is the whole process shown in the diagram.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You describe the broad cycle of water moving through turbines and generating electricity, and you mention both daytime operation and nighttime pumping. However, several key details are inaccurate or missing: the diagram shows a river feeding a high-level reservoir, not water from glaciers, and water is released through an intake rather than a gate opened slowly by a worker. The account also confuses the cycle by saying nighttime pumping increases pressure and that water is then used to operate the generator; in fact, the turbines generate electricity during the day, while at night they pump water back uphill. There is no clear overview of this two-mode process, and the claim that the electricity is cheap and sufficient is not shown in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly chronological sequence, moving from water storage to turbines and electricity transmission, and time markers such as “at night time” and “at day time” help distinguish the operating modes. However, the progression becomes confusing because the nighttime pumping and daytime generation are not clearly separated, and the order of events is partly contradictory. The response is presented as one long paragraph, with no distinct overview or clear grouping of the process stages. Linking phrases such as “When water fills the dam” and “When water flows through the turbines” provide some connection, but repeated references to “the water” and “the electricity” make the cohesion mechanical. Organise the account into an overview and a clearly ordered description of day and night.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “reversible turbines,” “generator,” “power station,” and “current,” so the reader can identify the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing this diagram. “Glaciers” introduces an unsupported source, while “streamline flow” and “high power lines” are not suitable descriptions of the labelled water flow and power lines. Phrases such as “the producing of electricity” and “very sufficient and cheap way” also show imprecise word choice and collocation. Aim for concise, diagram-based terms such as “reservoir,” “intake,” “water flows downhill,” and “electricity is transmitted to the national grid.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning “When water fills the dam” and “which will result…”. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction are noticeable and sometimes make the process harder to follow. For example, “water from glaciers are stored” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “worker will slowly opens” combines an incorrect article pattern with an incorrect verb form. “It is used to operate generator” is missing an article, while “the electricity… is… supply” has an incorrect verb form. Punctuation also needs attention: there is no space after “dam.” and the final sentence is awkwardly attached. Check agreement and verb forms, and use full stops to separate stages.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.