Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-07

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 chart illustrates the process for making own water clock.

Overall, the process consist seven steps, meanwhile it begin with tap and in final stage it performed to stored water in a plastic jar.

To begin with, plastic bottle attached with a stand and with help of tap it holds bottle to upper part of stands. It also put one hole in bottle to joint straw with glue. Stage three, it start filling water from the tap until the mark of bottle.

Stage five they put small hole in edge of bottle and that water transfer to plastic jar in per minute. Finally, the plastic jar contained with neck cut off which helps empty and repeat process to get clean water.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the diagram as a process and give a brief overall statement that it has seven steps, which is a relevant starting point. However, the account covers the stages only partially and includes important inaccuracies: the upper bottle is attached to a stand, not held there by the tap; the straw is an overflow drain, not joined to a hole at the base; and the lower bottle collects dripping water rather than being used to obtain clean water. Several stages, including covering the hole, allowing the water level to become constant, and marking levels per minute, are omitted or unclear. The response is also 28 words below the required minimum. Describe the equipment accurately and explain the sequence more fully, especially how the clock measures time.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an overview followed by descriptions of the process, and sequencing phrases such as “To begin with” and “Finally” help signal order. However, progression is not consistently clear: the account jumps from stage three to stage five, and the final sentence combines the lower bottle’s construction with emptying and repeating the process. “Overall” also introduces an unclear summary rather than a precise overview. Use one paragraph for the apparatus and a separate, chronological paragraph for the stages, linking each step explicitly with phrases such as “Next” and “Once the water level is steady.” This would make the relationships between actions easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “stand,” “straw,” “tap,” and “plastic jar,” so the reader can recognise the general subject. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate enough to obscure the process. For example, “holds bottle” does not clearly describe attaching it, “joint straw” is not the right expression for fixing it in place, and “stored water” does not convey the clock’s timing function. “Plastic jar” also differs from the diagram’s plastic bottle. Choose precise verbs for each action and use the diagram’s terms consistently, such as “attach,” “secure,” “overflow,” “drip,” and “calibration marks.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt a few longer structures, including the overview beginning “Overall” and the final clause “which helps…,” but most sentences rely on simple patterns, and errors are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “the process consist seven steps” (subject–verb agreement and a missing preposition), “it begin” (verb form), and “plastic bottle attached with a stand” (missing auxiliary and article). The sentence about stage five also shifts from “they put” to “that water transfer,” making the action difficult to interpret. Practise forming accurate passive descriptions of processes, for example, “The bottle is attached to the stand,” and check agreement, articles, and verb forms in each sentence.

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