Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The diagram below depicts the steps on how one can make own water clock using basic laboratory instruments in 7 steps.

To start off, a plastic bottle with a hole in its bottom should be taped on with a stand, the bottle needs to be filled through a water outlet and one should keep a finger on the hole to prevent the water from leaking.

Furthermore, the bottle should be filled to the top and a straw should be attached with glue just beneath the bottle's neck to discard the excessive water through it. This allows the water to be in a constant level. After that, the experimenter should remove their finger from the hole allowing the water droplets to flow.

Aditionally, another plastic bottle with its neck cut off should be placed beneath the the main bottle. Once the water starts dropping in the bottle beneath, after each minute, the experimenter needs to mark the water level on the half cut bottle. Now, once the smaller bottle has been marked, one can empty it and repeat the process for timming things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The report covers the main sequence and includes the key purpose of the final stages: water is allowed to drip, levels are marked, and the container is emptied and reused for timing. It also identifies the stand, straw and cut-off lower bottle. Some details, however, are not fully accurate or clear. The diagram shows the upper bottle being filled until water overflows through the straw, while the response first says it is filled “through a water outlet” and later describes the straw as being beneath the bottle’s neck. The constant level is also a stage before the finger is removed, but this relationship could be explained more precisely. The account is relevant and mostly complete, though a few stages and positions need clearer description.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows the process in a generally logical order, moving from assembling the apparatus to filling it, releasing the water and using the lower bottle for timing. Paragraph breaks help separate these phases, and transitions such as “To start off,” “Furthermore,” and “After that” guide the reader. The sequence is not always expressed cleanly, however: the first paragraph combines attaching the bottle, filling it and covering the hole, while the next revisits filling and explains the straw. This makes the order of the initial actions slightly difficult to follow. The final paragraph also uses “Now, once” redundantly. Grouping the setup steps together and using more precise links between each stage would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “attached,” “excessive water,” “water droplets,” and “repeat the process,” so the main actions are understandable. However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing this diagram. “Basic laboratory instruments” is not an accurate description of the simple materials shown, and “water outlet” does not clearly identify the tap. “Discard the excessive water” is less natural than describing the straw as carrying away overflow. There are also spelling errors in “Aditionally” and “timming,” and “half cut bottle” is an awkward description of the lower container. More precise terms for the apparatus and stages would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and complex forms, including passive constructions such as “should be taped” and clauses explaining purpose and result, as in “to prevent the water from leaking” and “allowing the water droplets to flow.” These structures generally communicate the process. Some grammatical errors remain: “make own water clock” needs a possessive determiner, “taped on with a stand” has an unclear construction, and “beneath the the main bottle” repeats the article. The sentence beginning “Once the water starts dropping…” also has an awkwardly placed time phrase, and “after each minute” does not form a clear grammatical link to marking the level. Proofreading articles and restructuring longer sentences would improve accuracy.

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