Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-05

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 5.0)

The given process represents for making a water clock.

Overall, it is evident that there are 7 steps for building water clock, however the first method is to tap on and the final method is to empty the water.

To begin with, the initial process is take a stand stick bottle with a help of tape and put the glass below make a hole in a bottle now tap on the tap water, furthermore cover hole with finger of the bottle from the bottom. Next, after closing a hole fill top bottle to overflow then attached the straw with the help of glue also check the water level constant.

On the other hand, after the water level is constant then remove finger away the bottom of the hole, now the water is dripping from the hole so cut the neck of plastic bottle. At last, mark the levels of water in each minute where empty the bottle and repeat process for timing things, this is a way to build water clock.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main stages of the process, but the description is often unclear and lacks precision. While you identify that there are seven steps, the explanation of these steps is frequently confusing, such as 'take a stand stick bottle with a help of tape'. The instructions are not presented in a logical, step-by-step manner that a reader could easily follow. To improve, you should focus on clearly describing the physical actions and the purpose of each stage, ensuring that the sequence of events is easy to track. The overview is also somewhat simplistic and does not fully capture the technical nature of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow of ideas is often disjointed. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Next', and 'At last', but these are often used mechanically and do not always connect the ideas logically. For example, the transition between filling the bottle and attaching the straw is abrupt. The referencing is also occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of the process. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will help improve the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic verbs like 'take', 'put', and 'make'. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and incorrect word choices, such as 'stand stick bottle' and 'timing things', which hinder clarity. You need to use more precise, process-oriented vocabulary to describe the actions involved in building the clock. Expanding your range to include more specific terms related to construction or scientific processes would significantly improve your score. Focus on learning collocations that are appropriate for describing diagrams and technical procedures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, including issues with articles ('a hole', 'the hole'), prepositions, and sentence structure. Many sentences are run-on or lack necessary punctuation, making them difficult to parse. For instance, 'put the glass below make a hole in a bottle now tap on the tap water' is a series of clauses lacking proper grammatical connection. While there is an attempt at complex structures, they are often faulty. To reach a higher band, you should focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring each sentence has a clear subject and verb, and work on using punctuation to separate distinct ideas.

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