Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-02

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)

The given diagram explains the procedure to generate elecricity in a hydroelectrice plan.

It is clear that fisrtly water is stored in dam, and it flow with pressure. Secondly, turbines activate and electricity generated through generator which ultimately runs in power lines and reached at national grd.

It can be seen that water of river is stored in dam. After that, water flow with pressure to generate the electricity. When water paases through with pressure, it activates the turbines. When turbines work, the electricity generated through generator. Now, current rus in power lines and it reaches at nation grid. So, electricity is ready to supply households and industries etc.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the broad subject and mention a few relevant stages, including water passing through turbines, electricity being generated, and power lines carrying it to the national grid. However, the account is very incomplete: it does not explain the low-level reservoir or the crucial night-time pumping cycle, and it incorrectly says the water is stored “in dam” rather than in the high-level reservoir behind it. The overview also misses the diagram’s main feature: the station operates in two directions, generating electricity by day and pumping water back uphill at night. The response is 109 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail you can provide. Describe both operating modes and the full water route to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from water storage to turbines, generation, and transmission. Connectors such as “Secondly,” “After that,” and “When” help signal order, and the ideas are grouped into two short paragraphs. However, the progression is repetitive: the second paragraph largely restates the first, repeating that water flows, turbines activate, and electricity reaches the grid. The sequence also stops without explaining the return of water to the low-level reservoir or the night-time cycle, so the process does not feel complete. Organise the response into a brief overview followed by a clear account of the daytime and night-time stages, using references such as “this water” to avoid repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “turbines,” “generator,” “power lines,” and “national grid,” so the reader can recognise the general topic. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors affect key terms: “elecricity,” “hydroelectrice,” “paases,” and “grd.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “water flow with pressure,” “current rus,” and “reached at national grid.” Use accurate process language and collocations, for example, “water flows through the turbines under pressure” and “electricity is transmitted to the national grid.” Adding terms for the reservoirs and pumping cycle would also help you describe the full diagram more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with time clauses, as in “When water paases through with pressure, it activates the turbines.” This shows some ability to link stages. However, the range remains limited, and errors recur in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “it flow” needs subject–verb agreement, while “electricity generated through generator” is missing an auxiliary verb and articles. “It reaches at nation grid” also has an incorrect preposition and an incomplete noun phrase. Practise accurate passive forms for process descriptions, such as “electricity is generated by the generator,” alongside present-simple active forms. Check each sentence for a subject, a correctly formed verb, and necessary articles.

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