Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-16

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.

Overall, build own water clock is a seven stages, man-made, linear process which begins with turn on the tap and ends with empty and repeat process for timing things.

To begin with, turn on the tab by which water come out. Furthermore, cover hole of the tab in the second stage. In addition, collect the water in a plastic bottle to overflow. Moreover, connect straw on the side of the plastic bottle with the help of glue. Additionally, secure plastic container with the help of tape.

In the subsequent stage, their are two sites were water release from the plastic bottle namely straw site and below the bottle. In addition, water release from plastic bottle is collect in a jar. In the sixth stage, plastic bottle is filled by the half. In the lasr stage, empty and repeat process for timing things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the process of making a water clock as shown in the diagram, identifying it as a seven-stage linear process. However, the overview and body paragraphs contain significant inaccuracies, misinterpretations of the visual data, and lift phrasing awkwardly directly from the prompt (e.g., 'empty and repeat process for timing things'). The description of the stages lacks clarity and logical grouping, missing several key mechanical features of the diagram such as the calibration markings on the lower bottle and the interaction between the upper and lower bottles. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, earning a band score of 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text employs basic cohesive devices and transition markers such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'In the subsequent stage'. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, with a very brief overview paragraph followed by a dense, repetitive sequence of sentences. The logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward referencing and mechanical linking (e.g., repeating 'with the help of' multiple times), resulting in a disjointed structure that struggles to guide the reader smoothly through the multi-step process.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms borrowed directly from the prompt, such as 'plastic bottle', 'tap', 'straw', and 'glue'. There are noticeable word-choice errors, including spelling mistakes ('lasr' instead of last, 'their' instead of there) and incorrect collocations (e.g., 'turn on the tab', 'cover hole of the tab', 'water come out'). The range of vocabulary is barely adequate to communicate the basic steps of the process, preventing the score from rising higher.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text features numerous foundational errors, including missing articles ('build own water clock', 'cover hole'), incorrect verb forms ('begin with turn on'), subject-verb agreement issues ('their are two sites were water release'), and fragmented or poorly constructed imperative structures. Complex sentence structures are rare, and attempts at subordination or relative clauses either fail or are absent. The high frequency of errors causes persistent difficulty and distraction for the reader.

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