Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The picture determines about building your own water clock from the diagram we can observe the whole process of making a water clock. Every stage give some amount of information to build your own water clock.

Overall, the most noticable feature is the levels are measured as per minute where water is dripping from the bottle. This gives the natural way of knowing time in the present genaration. Each part or item in the diagram have its own responsibility plays a role in the water clock buliding.

Firstly, the process start from the tap on the top and plastic bottle(neck cut off) in the bottom. The whole process is done on the stand which holds the bottle where the is glued with a straw for the overflow. At the bottle end their is small hole which we need to cover the finger. When we remove the finger from the hole then we start to get the time by filling the bottom bottle where levels per minute. We can empty and repeat the process for timing things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main purpose of the apparatus and mention several relevant components, including the tap, the bottles, the stand, the straw and the hole. You also include the final instruction to empty and repeat the process. However, the account only partially explains the numbered stages, and some details are unclear or inaccurate: the upper bottle is filled until it overflows before the water is released, and the lower bottle is marked with levels to show elapsed minutes. Your description instead suggests that the lower bottle is filled to obtain the time, without explaining the calibration clearly. The overview also makes a broad claim about a “natural way” of knowing time rather than summarising how the clock works. Describe the sequence and purpose of the markings more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an opening, an overview paragraph and a final paragraph describing the process, so there is some organisation. The use of “Overall” and “Firstly” also signals the intended structure. However, progression is not consistently clear: the final paragraph moves from the tap and bottles to the stand, straw, hole and timing without clearly following the numbered sequence. Several sentences join ideas awkwardly, such as “The whole process is done on the stand which holds the bottle where the is glued with a straw,” making the relationships between parts difficult to follow. Some references, including “this” and “their,” are unclear. Organise the body in the diagram’s order and use clear links such as “Next,” “Once the bottle is full,” and “Finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “overflow,” “stand,” “hole,” “levels per minute” and “repeat the process,” which helps convey the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to interpret. For example, “the picture determines about building” does not naturally introduce a process, and “each part … have its own responsibility” is an awkward way to describe the components’ functions. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “noticable,” “genaration” and “buliding.” Aim for precise process language and check spelling; terms such as “calibration marks,” “water flows” and “measure elapsed time” would suit this diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the reader can understand the broad idea of the water clock. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction occur frequently. Examples include “Every stage give,” “the process start,” and “Each part … have,” where the subject and verb do not agree. The sentence beginning “At the bottle end” also lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “where levels per minute” is incomplete. These problems sometimes make the sequence hard to follow. Practise building accurate sentences with one clear main clause, then add a time clause—for example, “After the upper bottle is filled, remove your finger from the hole.”

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