Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-03

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)

this diagram illustate the process of hydroelectric pwerstation that how its work. this process include six different steps starts with taking water from a river and end with a pumping back of water to reservior.

In power station the water moves from river to higher level reservior stored in it after that in day time the reservior is kept open for the flow of water to generate electricity. The water flow to a power station where turbines operate generator some of water in used by turbines to generate electricity which is supplied to national grid by the help of power lines. And the remaining water is saved in the low resoervior, additonally this process take place in day time.

furthermore in night water saved in low reservior was reversed to high level reservior with help of turbines which work backward in night time and help to pump water back towards high level reservior which is used further in the process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main cycle and distinguish the daytime generation stage from the nighttime pumping stage, including the route from the high-level reservoir through the turbines to the low-level reservoir and the national grid. This covers the central purpose of the diagram. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the intake is open during the day and closed at night, rather than the reservoir itself being “kept open,” and the diagram shows water flowing through the turbines to the lower reservoir, not that only “some” water is used while the rest is saved. The overview also calls this “six different steps,” although the process is better described as a cycle with two operating modes. Clarifying these points and summarising the cycle more precisely would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall progression: an introduction, a paragraph describing daytime operation, and a final paragraph explaining nighttime pumping. This makes the two modes reasonably easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “after that,” “additionally,” and “furthermore” help signal sequence and contrast, although some are used mechanically or do not express the relationship precisely. The long daytime sentence beginning “The water flow to a power station” combines several stages with “and,” making the route harder to track. Paragraphing is appropriate, but clearer sentence boundaries and more explicit sequencing—first the intake and conduit, then generation and transmission, then the return flow—would make the progression smoother and references such as “this process” less ambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “reservoir,” “turbines,” “generator,” “national grid,” and “power lines,” so the reader can identify the main components. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “pump water back” and “generate electricity.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or repetitive wording reduce control: “pwerstation,” “reservior,” and “resoervior” occur, while “water” and “reservior” are repeated frequently. Some combinations are unnatural, for example “the reservoir is kept open” and “some of water in used by turbines.” Use the diagram’s exact component names consistently and choose precise process verbs such as “flows,” “drives,” “transmits,” and “returns” to improve clarity and range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the use of time clauses such as “in day time” and “in night” shows an effort to describe the two operating modes. However, sentence control is uneven, especially in the long daytime sentence, where clauses are joined without clear punctuation. There are errors in verb forms and agreement, as in “this process take place” and “water … was reversed,” as well as missing or incorrect articles and prepositions in phrases such as “moves from river” and “in night water.” The opening also lacks a clear grammatical structure (“illustrate … that how its work”). Build more accurate simple sentences first, then combine stages with controlled clauses, checking tense, articles, and subject–verb agreement.

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