Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-27

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 5.0)

The flow charts illustrates the process of hydroelectric power station. There are a lot of several stages of process of electric power.

Overall, the starting point is from river. A river flows down toward the dam which is high-level reservoir. As the result the dam intake has two shifts between night and day. In a day the dam were open and closed in night according to this chart.

In contrast, the power station has a generator which produces the power lines as a national grid. As shown in the diagram the power station has a reversible turbines which is a open generator in a day. At a night, pump water goes into high-level reservoir in left side. The left side of the generator the flow of water during night goes upward.

In conclusion, it can be seen that the hydroelectric power station has different kind of stages during the generator.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main subject and mention several relevant components, including the river, dam, intake, generator, turbines and the two operating periods. However, the process is only partially described, and some key relationships are unclear or inaccurate. For example, “the dam intake has two shifts” does not clearly explain that the intake is open by day and closed at night, while “the dam were open” misstates what opens. You also do not clearly explain the complete daytime route from the high-level reservoir through the turbines to the low-level reservoir, or how the generator supplies electricity to the national grid. Give a concise overview of the day/night cycle, then describe each route accurately and in sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has separate paragraphs and attempts to organise information with phrases such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “In conclusion.” These provide some structure, but the progression is not consistently clear: the account moves from the river and dam to the generator, then back to night-time pumping, without setting out the process in a logical sequence. Some linking expressions do not show the relationship between ideas accurately, particularly “In contrast,” where the text is describing another part of the same system. References such as “the left side of the generator” are also difficult to follow. Organise the description by first giving the overall cycle, then explaining daytime generation and night-time pumping in order, using clear references to each component.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “high-level reservoir,” “reversible turbines,” “generator,” and “national grid,” which helps identify the equipment. However, the range is limited and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, sometimes making the meaning difficult to understand. For instance, “produces the power lines as a national grid” does not clearly express that electricity is transmitted through power lines to the grid, and “a open generator” appears to confuse the generator with the turbines’ operation. Repetition of “power station,” “generator,” and “flow of water” also limits flexibility. Build a more precise set of process verbs and collocations, such as “flows through,” “drives the turbines,” and “is transmitted to the grid.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including “As shown in the diagram…” and a sentence describing the night-time pumping cycle. However, grammatical errors are frequent, and some make the process difficult to interpret. Examples include subject–verb agreement in “The flow charts illustrates,” the incorrect verb form in “the dam were open,” and the article and agreement problems in “a reversible turbines which is a open generator.” Sentence boundaries and phrasing also need more control, as in “At a night, pump water goes into high-level reservoir in left side.” Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, plurals and verb forms, and use shorter, clearly structured sentences before attempting more complex descriptions.

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