Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-02

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 image illustrate the procedure of making custom water clock using raw material. The mechanism mainly includes a stand , two plastic bottles; one with neck chopped off, straw and glue.

First of all the material is assembled in such a way that the plastic bottle with neck cutt off is placed at the bottom of the stand. Then a straw is insurted in the neck of the other bottle with the help of glue for strong bonding. A tape is used to place this bottle at the upper side of stand. A whole is pierced at the bottom of this bottle.

Now open the tap and place the finger at bottom of upper bottle till the bottle is filled up. The bottle overflows till the water comes to a constant level. Now takeoff finger from the bottom of the bottle and let the water flow in lower bottle in drops. Check how many marked levels are filled in a minute to calculate the time. When bottle is filled just empty it and repeat the cycle for time checking.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the equipment and the main stages of building and operating a water clock. The overall mechanism and stages are covered, but some parts are more fully developed than others, leading to a mechanical listing of steps in the final paragraph. While the introduction gives a broad summary, the sequence of stages could have been organised with a clearer overview of the physical principles involved. To reach a higher band, the description of the process stages needs to be more thoroughly extended and clearly synthesized rather than relying on a literal translation of the visual instructions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The report has a coherent overall arrangement, dividing the description into an introduction, equipment setup, and operational stages. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in transitions like 'First of all' and 'Now open the tap', which read more like a set of manual instructions than an academic report. Paragraphing is present, but internal referencing and logical signposting between sentences could be smoother to guide the reader effortlessly through the cyclical process. To improve, a wider variety of cohesive devices should be employed to establish clearer progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the components and actions required to build the water clock. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'illustrate' instead of 'illustrates', 'cutt off' instead of 'cut off', 'insurted' instead of 'inserted', and 'whole' instead of 'hole'. The student attempts less common vocabulary, but these inaccuracies and minor slips restrict the lexical score. To move to a higher band, greater precision in spelling and word formation is required, alongside more sophisticated collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as clauses using relative pronouns and prepositional phrases. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('a stand, two plastic bottles', 'at upper side'), incorrect verb forms ('takeoff' instead of 'take off'), and minor punctuation oversights. Nonetheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede overall communication. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex structures with more consistent control over articles and prepositions.

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