Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-16

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 chart demonstrates the process of creating your own water clock.

Overall, building a water clock goes through seven stages, you don't need profesional tools just materials you can find at home, consisting of a plastic water bottle with neck cut off, a straw some tape, glue a stand to hold the mechanism together.

first after taping everything and creating the system place it ander a faucet and turn it on. then cover the hole wof the bottle with your finger until you reach the level of constant then put your f

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the subject and give a broad overview that the clock involves seven stages, and you mention relevant materials such as a bottle, straw, tape, glue and a stand. However, the report addresses the process only minimally: it stops partway through the instructions at “then put your f…”, so the later stages—including removing the finger, marking levels per minute, and emptying and repeating the process—are not described. Some details are also unclear or inaccurate: the diagram shows the upper bottle attached to the stand, with a separate lower bottle collecting water, but your description refers generally to “taping everything.” The response is 92 words, below the required 150. To improve, describe the apparatus clearly and cover the full sequence in a complete report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening identifies the diagram, an overview mentions seven stages, and “first” and “then” introduce steps. This gives the reader a limited sense of sequence. However, the report ends abruptly in the middle of “put your f…”, and the process is not carried through to its conclusion, so progression is incomplete. The overview sentence also combines several points in a long, loosely connected list, while the next paragraph begins with a lower-case “first” and does not establish a clear paragraph structure. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the staged description, and connect each step with clear sequencing language such as “next,” “once,” and “finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to identify the topic and several components, including “water clock,” “plastic water bottle,” “straw,” “tape,” “glue,” and “stand.” You also use process-related wording such as “turn it on” and “cover the hole.” However, the range is limited, and some choices are imprecise or informal for an academic process report: “creating your own” and “everything” do not specify the apparatus, while “reach the level of constant” is unclear. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “profesional” and “ander,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise terms such as “assemble,” “attach,” “overflow,” and “water level,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both a simple opening sentence and a longer overview, but the range of sentence structures is limited and control is uneven. The overview joins two independent ideas with a comma in “goes through seven stages, you don't need…,” creating a run-on sentence. The list that follows is not grammatically complete, and the final instruction is unfinished: “then put your f…”. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, with “first” and “then” beginning sentences in lower case. These issues make the sequence difficult to follow, although the main topic and some actions remain understandable. Use complete sentences, separate the overview from the materials list, and proofread sentence boundaries and capital letters.

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