Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-18

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)

So basically to build a water clock we need to gather some equipments that will help us build the structure of a water of a clock.As it isn't a normal clock it will require different things to build up this clock.We need a an empty water bottle,a stand ,a tape,a container ,glue ,a straw and water ofcourse.

So,the structrue of this clock is made by attaching the water bottle with ths upper part of the stand with the help of a tape .Make a hole at the bottom of the bottle from where the water will drop.Now place the container at the lower part of the stand from where the droping water will go into the container.now make another hole on the upper part of the bottle and attach a straw to it glue as shown in the figure.Now turn the tap on and cover the bottom hole of the bottle with your finger.Wait until the water overflows and starts dripping from where the straw is intalled.When the water gets leveled to the straw.Take your fingure away from the bottom hole of the bottle.The water will start filling in the comtainer .Mark the water level on the container per minute .You'll now know how a minute can fill .Empty the contaioner and repeat the process for measuring time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the process of building and operating a water clock, covering most of the key stages shown in the diagram, such as attaching the bottle to the stand, making holes, inserting a straw, filling the top bottle, and calibrating the lower container. However, the response suffers from an inappropriate informal register and tone ("So basically...", "water ofcourse"). Additionally, the overview and format read more like a set of personal instructions rather than an academic report written for a university lecturer. Key details, such as the relationship between the 7 numbered stages and the components, are only partially integrated, resulting in an under-developed task response that lacks an appropriate academic overview.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The text lacks proper paragraphing, presented instead as a single dense block of text, which severely hampers readability and structural cohesion. While there is a basic chronological sequence ("Now turn the tap on...", "Wait until..."), cohesive devices are extremely repetitive, relying heavily on consecutive sentence starters like "Now" and "So". Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as ambiguous pronoun use ("from where the droping water will go into the container"). Overall, the arrangement lacks the clear logical progression and paragraph management expected at higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is largely basic and repetitive ("build", "clock", "bottle", "container"). There are several spelling mistakes ("equipments", "structrue", "droping", "fingure", "comtainer", "contaioner") and issues with word formation or collocation (e.g., "water ofcourse", "straw is intalled"). The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the process, but the lexical range is narrow and insufficient to handle the topic with precision or flexibility, leading to noticeable errors that detract from the reading experience.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on imperative sentences and simple clauses strung together. There are noticeable punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after commas and periods (e.g., "clock.As it isn't...", "bottle,a stand..."), and several grammatical inaccuracies like missing articles ("attach the water bottle with ths upper part") and agreement errors. Complex structures are attempted with varying degrees of success, but frequent sentence-level errors and punctuation issues restrict the score to this band.

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