The diagram below shows how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.
Sample Response
The given diagram depicts the process of producing electricity in a hydroelectric power stationhydropower plant.
Overall, there are various stages in the process of generating electricity, commencing with collecting river water and endingfinalizing with the transmission of electricity to the national grid.
During the daytime, the river watercurrent is held back by a dam in order to accumulate water in a high-level reservoir. After that, the water flows downward through an intake pipe into the lower part of the power station. During this stage, under the pressure of water, the reversible turbines rotate and driveare rotated to power the connected generator. Electricity generated by this generator is then transmitted via power lines to the national gridnational grid system. After rotating the turbines, the water is released into a low-level reservoir for storage.
At nightnighttime, the water is directed back into the power station, which makes the reversible turbines start to rotate backward. As a result, the water is pumped back upwill be pumped up back into the high-level reservoir to prepareagain to get ready for the next cycle.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response explains the daytime generation and nighttime pumping stages in a clear, logical sequence, and it accurately identifies the main components of the station. The overview is somewhat generic and does not foreground the cyclical day-night operation, while a few phrases are awkward or redundant. The highest-priority improvement is to state the cycle explicitly and clarify that the intake closes while water is pumped back at night.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The main daytime and nighttime stages are accurately covered, though the overview misses the central cyclical contrast and the closed nighttime intake is omitted.
Summarise the day-night cycle in the overview and mention that the intake is open by day but closed while water is pumped back at night.
Coherence and Cohesion
The process is organised logically into overview, daytime, and nighttime paragraphs, with clear sequencing and progression.
Strengthen the link between the final nighttime stage and the next daytime cycle to emphasise the continuous nature of the process.
Lexical Resource
A good range of process vocabulary is used accurately, although finalizing, rotate backward, and pumped up back are awkward choices.
Use more natural phrasing such as ending with transmission, operate in reverse, and pumped back up to the high-level reservoir.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and passive structures are varied and mostly accurate, with only minor awkwardness and redundancy.
Edit redundant combinations such as back, up, and again in the same clause, and keep process descriptions consistently in the present simple.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The diagram below shows how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.