Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-19

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 5.5)

The given diagram illustrates the information about the the process of how to set up your own water clock which has few steps to follow. In this essay I will explain the steps that a university lecturer is describing in detail.

As shown in the given picture, it gets started from water tap which is pouring the water into the plastic bottle which is held by a stand and tapered to it. So once the water started pouring into the bottle the hole should be closed with a finger and fill the top bottle to overflow. There is a glue on bottle to make the water levels constant.

The bottom plastic bottle which is without neck is placed to measure the levels of water per minute To pour the water into it the finger should be away from the hole of above bottle. Once it gets filled the make sure to empty it and repeat the process as before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, but the description is somewhat superficial and lacks the necessary detail to fully explain the mechanism. For instance, the mention of 'glue on bottle' is unclear and does not accurately describe the function of the components shown in the diagram. The overview is also weak, as it does not clearly summarise the overall process or the purpose of the water clock. To improve, you should focus on describing the relationship between the components more precisely, such as explaining how the water level in the bottom container relates to the time measurement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which is a reasonable structure. However, the logical flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between the setup of the top bottle and the function of the bottom bottle is abrupt. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'once' and 'as shown in', they are used repetitively. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when referring to 'the hole' or 'the bottle' without specifying which one is being discussed. Improving the use of linking words and clearer referencing would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There is some repetition of basic words like 'bottle' and 'water'. Some phrases are slightly unnatural, such as 'tapered to it' and 'glue on bottle', which do not accurately convey the technical nature of the diagram. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more specific terminology related to processes and measurements, and vary your word choices to avoid repetition. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic steps but does not demonstrate flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the the process', 'it gets started from water tap', and 'the finger should be away from the hole of above bottle'. These errors, while not always impeding communication, are noticeable and occur throughout the text. There are also issues with article usage and preposition choice. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article placement, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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