Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-03

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 5.0)

The provided diagram reveals the information of a procedure for building a water clock.

Overall, it is cristal clear that the process of making own water tank has seven stages, moreover diffrent kinds of material has been needed in order to make it.

At a first glance, The very first stage commence with a tap, which plays an imperitive role in the process. some material supposed to be used to construct it such as, a plastic bottle and another bottle whose neck to be cut off.A small hole has to be made to the bottom part of the full bottle. Apart from this, it requires a straw, glue, tape, and a stand. The full bottle part has been tied to the stand with the aid of tape and a strow has been used the right side of a bottle. The half bottle has been used to fill water.constant the water level. Next, level has to be counted according to the minutes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially, presenting a summary of the steps involved in making a water clock, but failing to fully or accurately cover all seven stages shown in the diagram. While the writer attempts an overview, it contains inaccuracies, such as referring to a 'water tank' instead of a water clock, and mentioning 'diffrent kinds of material'. The details provided about the construction and stages are limited and somewhat confused. For instance, the transition from the materials to the actual steps is disjointed, and key stages like the constant level and counting levels per minute are under-developed or inadequately explained. To achieve a higher band, the response would need to accurately and comprehensively select and report all key features and stages of the process in a logical, fully developed manner without missing crucial operational details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation evident in the text, beginning with an introductory sentence and attempting a basic overview and body paragraph. However, there is no clear overall progression throughout the text. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as the repetitive use of 'The very first stage' and mechanical connectors like 'Apart from this' and 'Next'. Paragraphing is also somewhat erratic, as the main body text is clustered into a single dense block with choppy, disconnected sentences. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it hard to follow which part of the apparatus is being referred to. To improve, the writer needs to ensure a smoother, more logical progression of ideas from start to finish, use a wider variety of cohesive devices accurately, and structure the report into distinct, well-managed paragraphs representing the different phases of the diagram.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary related to the process, such as 'imperitive' and 'construct', but these attempts are marred by noticeable spelling errors ('cristal clear', 'diffrent', 'imperitive', 'strow') and awkward word choices ('water tank' instead of water clock, 'full bottle' and 'half bottle' rather than upper and lower plastic bottles). These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical range, demonstrate more precise word choice and collocation when describing visual processes, and significantly improve spelling accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside poorly constructed complex or passive forms. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as article omissions ('plays an imperitive role', 'to cut off'), incorrect verb forms ('supposed to be used', 'a strow has been used the right side'), and awkward prepositional usage. Attempts at complex sentence structures often result in faulty grammar, such as 'another bottle whose neck to be cut off' and 'constant the water level'. These frequent errors cause strain and difficulty for the reader. To move up, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex sentence forms with good control, ensuring that verb agreements, tense consistency, and dependent clauses are grammatically accurate.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.