Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram demonstrates the process of making a water clock with step by step clear instructions. The overall process contains seven steps, where each one is the continuation of its last step.

To build our own water clock we can begin with attaching a plastic bottle on a vertical stand and taped it up with the stand. We need to cover the small hole at bottom of the bottle while filling up the bottle with water until it reach the level or we can let the excess water overflow through the straw. Which will keep the water level constant inside the bottle.

At last, we would need a second bottle placed at the bottom of the vertical stand. This bottle's neck will be cutted off. Now we can remove our finger from the first bottle's bottom hole that will allow the water inside to drip to the second bottle. On the second bottle as it fills up minute levels are marked for our visual recognition.

Finally, we can either emptied the second bottle or reuse its water to measure timings for any other activities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by describing the process of making a water clock as outlined in the diagram and its seven stages. The introduction gives a clear overview, and the body paragraphs logically follow the sequence from preparing the upper bottle to marking the lower bottle and timing activities. Key features, such as the vertical stand, the overflow straw, the hole at the base, and the calibration lines on the lower container, are all accurately reported. The description is grounded firmly in the provided data without hallucinating extraneous information, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged with a clear overall progression, dividing the explanation into an introduction, body steps, and a concluding stage. Cohesive devices are used to link the steps (e.g., 'To build our own water clock we can begin with...', 'At last...', 'Finally...'), though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or informal. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the stages of preparation and execution. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as ambiguous pronoun usage, which prevents the score from reaching a higher band. Overall, cohesion is logical and clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'vertical stand', 'overflow', 'constant', and 'calibration' (referred to as minute levels marked). There are some clumsy word choices and non-standard forms, such as 'cutted' instead of 'cut' and 'emptied' used as a verb form after 'can either'. While less common vocabulary is attempted, errors in word formation and collocation prevent the lexical score from exceeding a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structures like relative clauses ('Which will keep the water level constant') and conditional-like instructions ('we would need a second bottle placed...'). However, there are notable grammatical errors and punctuation issues, such as sentence fragments and run-on structures (e.g., 'hole that will allow the water inside to drip to the second bottle. On the second bottle as it fills up minute levels are marked...'). These errors occasionally disrupt the flow, placing the response firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

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

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