Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-10

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 4.5)

The process diagram illustrates different steps to build your own water clock.

Overall, the process consists of seven main stages, beginning with opening the tap, and ending with emptying the plastic bottle.

Initially, we start our process by opening up the tap to get water, to fill up a plastic bottle as it stuck in a stand with a tape and also a straw stuck under the neck of the bottle with glue. Next as we filling the bottle we make a small hole under it and covering it with our finger. fi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the diagram as a process and give a basic overview that it has seven stages, starting with turning on the tap and ending with emptying the bottle. However, the report is incomplete: it stops during the early stages and does not describe the constant water level, removing the finger, marking levels per minute, or repeating the process to time things. Some details are also unclear or inaccurate, such as saying the straw is under the bottle’s neck. The response is 93 words, below the required 150, which contributes to the limited coverage. To improve, describe the apparatus accurately and report the full sequence, including how the lower bottle is calibrated and used.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph beginning to describe the stages. The sequence markers “Overall,” “Initially,” and “Next” help signal progression. However, the explanation ends abruptly at “fi,” so the reader cannot follow the process through to its conclusion. The long sentence beginning “Initially” also combines several construction details and actions, making the order difficult to track. Use separate sentences or paragraphs for building the apparatus and operating it, then connect each stage with clear sequencing language such as “Once the bottle is full” and “Finally.” This would create a more complete and coherent progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses relevant basic vocabulary, including “process diagram,” “stages,” “tap,” “plastic bottle,” “stand,” “tape,” and “glue,” so the general topic is understandable. However, the range is limited and some phrases are imprecise or awkward, such as “opening up the tap to get water” and “a straw stuck under the neck.” “Emptying the plastic bottle” also does not fully express the final instruction to empty and repeat the process for timing things. Aim for more precise process vocabulary and natural collocations, for example, “turn on the tap,” “attach the straw,” and “mark the water level.” This will make the description clearer and more suitable for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine actions in longer sentences, and the opening overview is grammatically clear: “the process consists of seven main stages.” However, the longer sentence structures are often faulty. In “as it stuck in a stand,” the verb form is incorrect, while “as we filling the bottle” needs a finite verb form. The phrase “we make a small hole under it and covering it” also mixes verb forms, and the final “fi” leaves the sentence incomplete. These errors make parts of the sequence difficult to understand. Use a consistent present simple for process descriptions, such as “The bottle is attached to the stand” and “While it fills, the hole is covered with a finger,” and check that every sentence is complete.

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