Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-29

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 illustrates the process for making a water clock.In simple and easy way

Overall, it gives us seven stages which inculdes tap on to emptying the water. Major components for the projects are Tap, plastic bottle, glue , stand , straw and tape.

Firstly we will talk about how to create this project. On the bottom of the stand put lower half of a plastic bottle and at the the uper tape a complete plastic bottle then make two holes in the bottle, one at the upper right side and another at the middle of the bottom bottle then glued an straw to the first hole. Lastly put this whole project under a tap.

Now, how to use this water clock first you need to start the tap then cover the bottom hole with finger until the water fill in top of the bottle it water will remove slowly till it comes at level constant through the straw, now remove your finger and the clock will work.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe the process of making and using a water clock based on the diagram, but it falls short in several key areas. While it correctly identifies the main components and mentions the general stages (such as turning on the tap and observing levels), the coverage of the visual data is incomplete and disorganised. The explanation of the construction and operation steps is confusing, with abrupt transitions and missing details regarding how the calibration marks are made or how timing functions. Furthermore, the opening contains fragments ('In simple and easy way') rather than a fully developed introduction. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to present a clearer, more logical overview of all seven stages shown in the diagram without omitting critical operational steps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The text suffers from significant cohesion and referencing issues. Paragraphing is poorly handled, with the main body text clumped into dense blocks that mix construction instructions with operation steps. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, leading to run-on sentences and a lack of logical progression (for example, the transition from how to build the clock to how to use it lacks clear signposting). Pronoun referencing is also weak, as seen in phrases like 'it water will remove slowly'. While there is a basic chronological order attempted ('Firstly', 'Lastly', 'now'), the overall structure is disjointed and makes it difficult for the reader to follow the sequence of actions smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is quite limited and repetitive, with frequent reliance on basic vocabulary (e.g., 'put', 'make', 'work'). There are also awkward word choices and collocation errors, such as 'uper tape a complete plastic bottle', 'glued an straw', and 'level constant'. Spelling and word formation errors, such as 'inculdes' and 'uper', further detract from the quality of the writing. While the student manages to name some equipment correctly (tap, plastic bottle, glue, straw, tape), the overall lexical resource is barely adequate for an academic task, resulting in noticeable strain for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text contains numerous run-on sentences, comma splices, and fragments (e.g., 'In simple and easy way'). Complex sentence structures are attempted but are frequently faulty or ungrammatical, such as in 'until the water fill in top of the bottle it water will remove slowly till it comes at level constant through the straw'. Punctuation is largely neglected, and basic subject-verb agreement or tense consistency issues appear regularly. These frequent errors cause difficulty for the reader and prevent the text from achieving a higher band score.

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