Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-14
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 diagram illustrates the process for making a water clock and the steps are given in the numbering.
Overall, A systematic description of building a water clock is given. It requires 7 steps to build a water clock.
There is a system created with help of 2 bottles, stand tape, glue and water tap. One bottle is put on the stand surface after cutting it's neck. And the 2nd bottle is joined at the top of the stand with the help of tape after making a hole at its bottom and attaching a straw with the help of glue at the hole in the bottle neck. And then the tap is turned on the bottle at the top to fill it.
The steps required to do the process include turning on the tap on the top bottle to fill the bottle after putting the finger on the hole at its bottom until it drains out water from the top straw. when the level is constant remove the finger away from hole and check the level per minute. Remove the water and repeat the process for timing things.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to describe the process of making a water clock as shown in the diagram. An overview is provided, stating that there are seven steps involved, which successfully highlights the main trend or feature of the process. However, the description of the specific steps is somewhat muddled and lacks the precision expected at higher bands. For example, phrases like 'One bottle is put on the stand surface after cutting it's neck' attempt to cover the sequence, but the details are disjointed and rely too heavily on basic listing rather than a fluid, logical progression. While all parts of the task are addressed, the development of the individual steps is underdeveloped, placing this response securely at Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response exhibits some organisation, dividing the text into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the setup and steps. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the arrangement feels mechanical and disjointed. Cohesive devices are either inadequate, inaccurate, or repetitive, with excessive reliance on coordinating conjunctions such as 'and' and sequencing words like 'And then'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs is weak. For instance, sentences like 'One bottle is put on the stand surface after cutting it's neck. And the 2nd bottle is joined...' demonstrate faulty referencing and repetitive sentence openings, resulting in a score of 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for describing a simple physical process. The student employs basic terms such as 'bottles', 'stand', 'tape', 'glue', and 'water tap'. There are noticeable lexical errors, such as using 'stand tape' and 'it's neck' (incorrect apostrophe usage for possessive determiner 'its'), which reveal a restricted control over word choice and spelling. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are absent, and the overall range is narrow, relying on repetitive descriptions of physical objects. These issues cause occasional difficulty for the reader in picturing the exact mechanism, aligning well with the Band 5 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple sentences and overly convoluted passive constructions that become grammatically tangled. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, such as in the sentence 'One bottle is put on the stand surface after cutting it's neck,' which suffers from a dangling modifier error because the bottle did not do the cutting. There are frequent punctuation and grammatical errors throughout the text, including lowercase starting letters after periods ('Overall, A systematic...') and minor agreement slips. These errors can cause confusion for the reader, justifying a band score of 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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