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 process diagram illustrates the process of building yours own water clock.

Overall, there are seven stages we need to follow to make our own water clock and the things which are needed to create clock are plastic bottle, tap, straw, glue, water, stand and another (neck cut off) plastic bottle.

Firstly, to create our own water clock we need to attache those two bottle with stand on the upper part and lower part line by and straw on the top of the upper bottle. After that we need to on the tap while covering the hole with finger after that fill the top bottle to overflow. On the top bottle when the water level beign in constant level take off the figer away from hole and we will able to see the levels per minute.

Now, we can repeat the process of our own water clock any time we need.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the process of making a water clock from the provided diagram. However, it fails to present a clear overview or properly sequence the multiple steps required in the process. The student identifies the necessary materials, such as a 'plastic bottle, tap, straw, glue, water, stand and another (neck cut off) plastic bottle', which shows a basic understanding of the task. Unfortunately, the description of the stages is confusing, overly informal, and lacks the objective, analytical tone expected in an Academic Task 1 report. Furthermore, critical details of the diagram are omitted or poorly explained, resulting in an under-developed response that aligns with a Band 5 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is divided into four short paragraphs, but the overall organization lacks a clear, logical progression. While basic cohesive markers like 'Firstly', 'After that', and 'Now' are employed, their usage is mechanical and repetitive, leading to run-on sentences that are difficult to follow. For example, the third paragraph attempts to cram multiple sequential actions together: 'After that we need to on the tap while covering the hole with finger after that fill the top bottle to overflow.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the lack of proper punctuation further disrupts the flow, resulting in a Band 5 performance for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms such as 'process', 'make', 'bottle', and 'water'. There are noticeable inappropriate word choices and non-standard phrasing, such as 'attache those two bottle with stand on the upper part and lower part line by and straw on the top' and 'water level beign in constant level'. The student attempts some task-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'tap', 'straw', 'stand'), but the range is narrow and inadequate for a higher band. Spelling errors like 'beign' instead of 'beginning' or 'being' also occur. This lexical control places the response firmly at Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatically, the response demonstrates a very limited range of structures. Most complex or compound-complex structures attempted are severely flawed, containing frequent errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. Examples of errors include 'building yours own water clock', 'we need to on the tap', and 'take off the figer away from hole'. Punctuation is largely neglected, with long, unpunctuated clauses strung together. These persistent errors cause significant difficulty for the reader and reflect the characteristics of Band 4 grammar and accuracy.

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

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