Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-28

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 diagram depicts the sequential process of how to build a water clock.

Overall, there are seven distinct stages. beginning with a empty plastic bottle and culminating in repeating the process for timing things.

Firstly, a empty plastic bottle attached to the stand wit te help of tape on the top side, and a half bottle with no upper body placed on the bottom side of the stand. Furthermore, a hole a made near the neck of the bottle to add a straw. Therefore, in the first step, turn on the tap and place the bottle just below it, then cover the hole with the finger untl

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The student attempts to describe the process of making a water clock, identifying the seven stages and the basic components such as the plastic bottles, stand, and straw. However, the response is severely incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence ('untl') in the early part of the sequence and falling significantly short of the 150-word minimum at only 107 words. Consequently, the description of the process remains largely undeveloped and only a fraction of the diagram is explained. This under-length performance and lack of completion severely restricts the task achievement score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The text begins with a basic introduction and overview statement ('Overall, there are seven distinct stages...'). However, the response breaks off abruptly after a few sentences, meaning paragraphing and overall logical progression cannot be fully evaluated. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly' and 'Furthermore' are attempted, but the sudden termination of the text prevents any coherent conclusion or complete logical flow from being established.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses a basic vocabulary range suitable for describing simple physical objects and actions, such as 'plastic bottle', 'stand', 'tap', and 'hole'. There are noticeable lexical errors, such as using 'a empty' instead of 'an empty' and 'wit te help' instead of 'with the help'. Uncommon or sophisticated lexical items are largely absent due to the brevity of the response, limiting the lexical range to a minimal level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The response contains basic sentence structures, but control is weak. There are grammatical and mechanical errors throughout, including article misuse ('a empty plastic bottle') and spelling/preposition errors ('wit te help', 'a hole a made' instead of 'a hole is made'). The text trails off mid-sentence at the end ('untl'), demonstrating a failure to complete grammatical clauses. The range of structures is extremely limited.

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