Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-23

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 diagram illustrate the process of making a simple water clock usin =g plastic bottles. Overall , it is a manuall process consistinf of seven stages, from preparing the bottels to usig the device tp measure ttime, firstly to plastic bottels are required .The topbottels is cut and placed upside down , with its cape having a small hole, this bottels is attached to vertical stand andtape and glue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the diagram as a process for making a water clock and give a brief overall statement that it has seven stages, which is relevant. However, the report is far from complete: it stops after describing the upper bottle and stand, omitting most of the numbered stages, including covering the hole, filling the bottle until water overflows, releasing the water, marking levels, and repeating the process. Some details are also inaccurate or unclear: the diagram specifies a hole at the base, but you refer to the bottle’s cap having a hole, and it does not show the top bottle being cut and placed upside down. The response is also 81 words below the required minimum. To improve, describe the full sequence and the apparatus accurately, with a clear overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the report: you begin with an introduction, add an overall statement, and use “firstly” to start describing the equipment. This gives the reader some sense of the intended order. However, the response ends abruptly, so there is no progression through the process or concluding description of how the clock is used. The ideas are also crowded together in one run-on passage, with inconsistent spacing around punctuation and little clear separation between the overview and the first stage. Use separate paragraphs for the introduction and overview, then the stages, and connect each step with accurate sequencing phrases such as “Next” and “Finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “process,” “water clock,” “plastic bottles,” “vertical stand,” and “measure time.” These choices make the general subject recognisable. However, the range is limited because the report is very short, and several spelling errors make the wording difficult to read, for example “manuall,” “bottels,” and “usig.” Some expressions are also imprecise: “topbottels” is unclear, and “cape” does not accurately name the bottle part shown. Aim for accurate process vocabulary and check spelling carefully. Useful terms for this diagram include “upper bottle,” “overflow straw,” “hole at the base,” “lower container,” and “calibration marks.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a complex sentence to describe the equipment, using “with” to add detail, and the opening gives a recognisable present-simple description. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. For example, “the diagram illustrate” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “it is a manuall process consistinf of seven stages” lacks a correctly formed clause after “process.” The sentence beginning “The topbottels is cut” also has agreement problems and joins several ideas without clear punctuation. These errors make parts of the description hard to follow. Build accuracy with clear simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses; check singular and plural subjects, verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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