Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-17

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 diagrm illustrates how to make a water clock. The whole process consist on seven steps. It starts from tap water collection and ends with repeating the process again after empty the lower jar.

Overall, the picture tells about how to make a water clock by using household items and no need of extra equipments. Only three main things required water and two bottles and some adhesive items like glue and tapes.

Process starts with tap on water. Below the tap one plastic bottle tape with one stand and there is a hole below the water bottle so, water can transfer in to another jar. At first, the hole below the bottle should close by putting finger so, the bottle can fill and overflow. Once the bottle filled upto the straw remove the finger from the hole.

Now, the water starts to dripping in to the lower jar. which means the clock timings start. To measure the time lower bottle already have measurement for counting the levels per minute. When lower bottle fill completely process can start again by emptying the bottle and repeat all the steps once again.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all major parts of the process, successfully identifying the overall nature of the diagram and moving through the stages from turning on the tap to repeating the process. However, there are some minor omissions and inaccuracies regarding mechanical details, such as missing the specific role of the horizontal overflow straw and misinterpreting how the water level is marked. The overview is somewhat basic ('no need of extra equipments'), but it does capture the core essence of the DIY aspect. To reach a higher band, the description should capture the functional mechanics of the apparatus more precisely, such as the overflow mechanism and the calibration markings on the lower container.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs that generally follow the chronological sequence of the diagram. The opening introduces the task, the second paragraph provides a brief overview of materials, and the final paragraphs detail the steps. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases feel abrupt, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'which means the clock timings start' standing as a fragment. Paragraphing is attempted, but transitions between sentences lack smoothness. Better control of cohesive devices and relative clauses would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully employing everyday terms related to the process such as 'plastic bottle', 'glue', 'tap', and 'finger'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'consist on' instead of 'consists of', 'equipments' (equipment is uncountable), and 'tap on water' rather than turning on the tap. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are limited, and basic spelling/word-choice slips appear throughout. A wider range of precise technical terms and correct prepositions is needed to achieve a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions, such as 'after empty the lower jar' (instead of 'emptying'), 'tape with one stand' (passive voice error), and 'water can transfer in to another jar'. Punctuation is also problematic, including run-on constructions and sentence fragments like 'which means the clock timings start.' While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of basic grammatical errors places this response firmly in the Band 5 range.

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

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