Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-21

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)

This diagram illustrates the step by step process of how tomake water clock by your own, starting from tap water and ending with water level in the becker.

Overall, the making of water clock involves seven main steps, beginning with tap water and ending with water in becker.The initial stage focus on collecting water from tap by open it, while the middle stages involve allowing water to flowing in becker in the form of drops, and final level concern with checking the water level and note the timing.

In the first stage, we collect water from the tap in the flask and put finger on the hole which is at the bottem of flask after this fill the first flask till overflow to constant the water level in the flask.

next, when the water level become constant than, get finger away from the hole and allow water to flow during droping of water in the becker note the timing per drop and check the the level to make sure for reading empty the beccker and repeaat the process for exact time reading.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a broad beginning-to-end overview, including filling the upper container, releasing water, checking the level and repeating the process. However, several important details are unclear or inaccurate: the diagram shows water dripping into the lower bottle, where calibration lines are marked, rather than timing each drop; it also does not describe collecting water in a flask. The sequence is compressed into long descriptions, so the reader cannot reliably distinguish all seven stages, including the constant overflow level and the marked levels per minute. To strengthen the report, describe the apparatus accurately first, then explain each stage in order and clarify what the markings are used for.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs, and it attempts to guide the reader with phrases such as “In the first stage” and “next.” This gives it some organisation. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the first paragraph combines several stages, while the final paragraph runs together releasing the water, observing drops, checking the level and repeating the process. The transitions “after this” and “than” do not clearly signal the sequence, and the overview’s “middle stages” and “final level” are vague. Use one paragraph for the equipment and overall process, then a clearly ordered account with stage markers such as “Once,” “Next” and “Finally.” Break long sequences into separate sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “overflow,” “water level,” “hole” and “timing,” so the reader can recognise the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward for this diagram. “Becker” is not the correct term for the lower plastic bottle, and “flask” does not match the labelled upper bottle. Phrases such as “water level in the becker” and “allow water to flow during droping of water” are imprecise, while spelling errors such as “bottem,” “beccker” and “repeaat” are noticeable. Use the diagram’s terms consistently and choose precise process verbs, for example “drip,” “mark” and “measure.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a sequence linked with “while” and clauses introduced by “after this.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the process difficult to follow. Examples include “the initial stage focus” instead of “the initial stage focuses,” “allowing water to flowing” instead of “allowing water to flow,” and “the water level become constant” instead of “the water level becomes constant.” Articles and sentence boundaries are also problematic: “make water clock” needs an article, and the final paragraph is a run-on sentence with unclear punctuation. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions and infinitive patterns, and separate each stage into a complete sentence.

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