Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows the process for making a water clock.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN WATER CLOCK

Student answer (Band 4.0)

take a plastic bottle;straw;glue;tape and stand.put water in it and do hole in the beaneath of bottle; put glass in the beaneath of hole;;and count the timer;this shows your level constant when you put finger on the hole and describes the over flow of water and describes finger away from hole levels per minute and empty spaces between the molecules and reapetition of the whole process ;this shows the complete process for making water clock.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the general subject as making a water clock and mention several relevant stages, including filling the bottle, covering and uncovering a hole, observing levels per minute, and repeating the process. However, the account is very brief and does not clearly describe the apparatus or explain the sequence accurately. For example, the diagram shows an upper bottle fixed to a stand, a straw used as an overflow drain, and a lower bottle with calibration marks; these key features are missing or unclear. The phrase “put glass in the beaneath of hole” also misrepresents the lower container. The response is 75 words below the required minimum, which leaves the process substantially under-described. Develop a clear overview and explain each main stage in order, using the diagram’s details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is a basic attempt to present a sequence, with actions such as “put water in it,” “put finger on the hole,” and “finger away from hole” appearing in a roughly process-related order. However, the response is written as one continuous string, with full stops and semicolons used inconsistently, so the reader cannot easily distinguish the equipment description from the stages. Connections between ideas are also unclear: “this shows your level constant” and “describes the over flow of water” do not explain how one step leads to the next. Organise the report into short paragraphs, first introducing the apparatus and then describing the numbered stages in sequence. Use simple linking expressions such as “first,” “once,” and “finally” to make the progression clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant process words, including “bottle,” “straw,” “glue,” “tape,” “hole,” and “levels per minute,” so the topic is recognisable. However, vocabulary is basic and repetitive, and several choices make the meaning difficult to follow. “Put glass” appears to refer to the lower bottle, while “empty spaces between the molecules” is not shown in the diagram and is irrelevant to the process. Spelling and word-form errors such as “beaneath” and “reapetition” also reduce clarity. Build a more precise set of terms for describing the equipment and actions, such as “container,” “attach,” “overflow,” “calibration marks,” and “drip,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The response attempts to describe actions using short imperative forms, for example “take a plastic bottle” and “put water in it,” but it shows very limited control of sentence construction. Most ideas are joined together without clear sentence boundaries, and punctuation is inconsistent, as in “stand.put” and the repeated semicolons. The clause “this shows your level constant when you put finger on the hole” is difficult to interpret because the relationship between the ideas is not grammatically expressed. Articles and prepositions are also often missing, as in “put finger on the hole.” Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use sequencing clauses such as “After the bottle is filled, remove your finger from the hole.”

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