Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-22

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 4.5)

The given diagram illustrate the method of making a water clock.

overall,process of making a water clock had 7 stages that started from tap on and cover hole with finger and ended with empty and repeat process for timing things.

The provided diagram that demonstrate the process of making water clock it begins from tap on of to filled in plastic bottle and then second method was cover hole with finger and after that it comes to fill top bottle overflow amd then removed the fingers away from hole.

After that it checks the levels of plastic bottle per minutes and then in last stage emptysnd repeat the same process for timing things

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to describe the seven-stage process for making a water clock, but it suffers from a major negative impact due to length. As noted in the length check, the essay contains only 113 words, falling well short of the 150-word minimum. This under-length results in a severe penalty for Task Achievement, as the stages are presented in a very truncated, repetitive, and underdeveloped manner. While the student attempts an overview and mentions the sequence of stages, the severe lack of development and failure to meet the minimum word count mean the response cannot achieve above a band 4.0 for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The text lacks proper paragraphing, consisting instead of single-sentence lines and a poorly structured sequence. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and repetitively, with phrases like 'after that' and 'and then' overused to link simple clauses. Although an overall progression is attempted by listing stages from 1 to 7, the lack of a proper introduction and concluding paragraph limits the logical flow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall organization fails to create a unified, cohesive report suitable for an academic context.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive ('plastic bottle', 'tap on', 'cover hole with finger'). There are numerous word choice and collocation errors, such as 'tap on of to filled in plastic bottle' and 'emptysnd'. The range of vocabulary is severely limited and inadequate for an academic task, repeatedly falling back on the exact wording provided in the prompt's labels rather than paraphrasing or demonstrating lexical flexibility. Spelling errors are also present, which strains the reader's comprehension at times.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. There are fundamental errors in subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'The given diagram illustrate' instead of 'illustrates'. Sentence structures are overwhelmingly basic or faulty when complex forms are attempted, such as in the run-on sentence: 'The provided diagram that demonstrate the process of making water clock it begins from tap on...'. Punctuation is also neglected, with missing periods and erratic spacing. Errors are frequent and often impede the clarity of the message.

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