Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given illustration displays how a water clock is build.

Overall, there are mainly 7 steps to building a water clock. The multi-step process starts by gathering water from a tap and at the end transferring it to a marked plastic bottle, used for timing things.

At the start, the tap is kept on. The tap water is stored in a plastic bottle with a straw attached by glue to its upper side and a hole at the bottom. The bottle is wrapped around a stand by a tape. The bottle is overflowed by pressing the hole with finger however it is kept to a certain level by the help of the straw, which ejects unnecessary water. Afterwards the finger is removed away from the bottle and the water is allowed to drop.

The water falls down in a plastic bottle, with neck cut off and marked with levels per minutes. After it fills up, it is emptied and the process is repeated to time things

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The report covers the main stages and gives a clear overall summary: it identifies a seven-step process and explains that the water ultimately collects in a marked lower bottle for timing. Several important construction details are also included, such as the straw, the stand, the hole and the cut-off neck of the lower bottle. This meets the task well, though some stages are less fully or precisely described. In particular, the sequence of covering the hole, filling the upper bottle until it overflows, and maintaining a constant level is compressed into a confusing sentence. The calibration lines and the role of the lower bottle in measuring levels per minute could also be explained more clearly. A more exact account of each stage would strengthen the report further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the apparatus and then the water’s movement into the lower bottle. Sequencing phrases such as “At the start,” “Afterwards” and “After it fills up” help the reader follow the process. However, the progression is not always easy to track because several actions and construction details are packed into the same paragraph. For example, the sentence beginning “The bottle is overflowed” combines covering the hole, filling the bottle and controlling the water level, making the order unclear. The final paragraph also moves quickly from the falling water to emptying and repeating the process. Separate the setup from the numbered stages and use clearer references to each bottle to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant vocabulary for describing a process, including “attached,” “overflow,” “removed” and “repeated,” and the reader can generally identify the components and actions. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision. For instance, “the tap water is stored” suggests storage rather than flowing into the upper bottle, while “wrapped around a stand by a tape” does not describe the attachment naturally. “The bottle is overflowed” is also an unsuitable expression for the intended action. There is some repetition of “bottle” and “water,” although these are central to the diagram. Aim for precise process verbs and natural combinations, such as “secured to the stand with tape” and “water flows through the hole.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is an attempt to use both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “a plastic bottle, with neck cut off” and a clause introduced by “however.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward sentence construction reduce accuracy. The opening says “is build” instead of using the correct past participle, and “by pressing the hole with finger” is missing an article. The sentence beginning “The bottle is overflowed” also has an incorrect passive construction, while “Afterwards the finger is removed away” uses an unnecessary preposition. Punctuation around “however” and the long process sentence could be improved. Use consistent present simple passive forms where appropriate and check articles and verb forms.

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