Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-06

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 diagram shows the process of making and operating a simple water clock using a plastic bottle, a straw and a container.

Overall, the process involves filling the upper bottle with water and allowing it to pour out from straw that were glued to bottle, and there is a mini hole underneath of bottle that allows water to go through.

plastic bottle is attached securely to a stand with a tape to hold bottle, in the bottom there is a plastic bottle that messures water quantity level.

next the water level in the upper bottle is kept dropping when the finger is removed from the hole , allowing the water to drip steadily through the straw.

finally, the container is emptied and the process is repeated to messure further time in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the diagram as a water-clock process and mention several relevant components, including the upper bottle, stand, lower container and repeated timing. However, the account only partially describes the stages: it omits the tap being turned on, covering the hole, filling the upper bottle until water overflows, and marking the lower bottle to show levels per minute. It also misstates the flow: water drips through the hole at the base into the lower bottle, not through the straw; the straw is an overflow drain. The overview is therefore not fully accurate, and the construction and operating steps are underdeveloped. The response is also below the required 150 words. Add the missing stages and clarify the function of each part.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence, signalled by “Overall,” “next” and “finally,” and the reader can identify a general movement from the apparatus to its operation. However, the organisation is not consistently clear: the construction details appear in a separate lower-case paragraph without a clear link to the overview, and the stages are not presented in their actual order. The transition from describing the bottles to saying the upper water level drops is abrupt, while the final sentence does not explain how the marked levels are used for timing. Use distinct paragraphs for the overview and ordered stages, and connect each step with precise sequencing language such as “first,” “once” and “afterwards.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “plastic bottle,” “stand,” “hole,” “water level” and “process,” so the basic subject is understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the process unclear. For example, “pour out from straw” incorrectly describes the water’s route, and “messures water quantity level” is not a natural way to describe the lower bottle’s markings. “Mini hole” is also imprecise for a diagram report. Spelling errors in “messures” and “messure” are noticeable. Build a more precise set of process terms, such as “overflow,” “drip,” “calibration marks” and “lower container,” and check spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer clauses, for example, “Overall, the process involves…” and “allowing the water to drip…”. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. In “a straw that were glued to bottle,” the relative clause has incorrect agreement and is missing an article; “underneath of bottle” has an incorrect prepositional pattern; and “in the bottom there is” is an awkwardly formed sentence. The sentence beginning “next the water level…” also needs clearer punctuation and clause structure. Practise accurate articles, subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries, then use a few controlled complex sentences to explain how one stage leads to the next.

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.