Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-27

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 diagram illustrates stage by stage process regarding how a water clock is made.

Overall, making a water clock is a simple linear process which begins with pouring water into a bottle from a water fauchet and ends with accumulating the water in measurement bottle where water levels are marked at one minute interval.

The water clock includes a water. In the first stage the tap is turned on and the water is collected in a plastic bottle which is raised and clamped on a stand. There is small hole underneath the bottle which is intially kept closed by covering with finger until the water fills up to the neck of the bottle. There is a straw connected at the at the neck of the bottle which keeps the water at a constant level by releasing the extra water out.

Once the water reaches the level constant the finger is removed. Aferwards the water from the clamped bottle pours down to a plastic bottle kept underneath whose nech is removed. The plastic bottle is graduated with markings at the bottle at one minute interval.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The report covers the main sequence and gives a clear overview: water is fed into the upper bottle, then flows into a marked lower container for timing. It also includes relevant construction details, such as the stand, the hole at the base, and the overflow straw. This addresses the task well, although some stages are described more fully than others. In particular, the final instruction to empty the lower bottle and repeat the process is omitted, and the calibration marks are described as being at one-minute intervals without clearly explaining that they indicate the water level reached per minute. To strengthen the account, describe the numbered stages in order and clarify how the lower bottle’s markings are used to measure time.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the apparatus and its operation. Sequencing phrases such as “In the first stage” and “Once the water reaches” help the reader follow the process. However, the progression is not fully smooth because the description moves between construction details and operating steps, and the final stage is not included. Some references are also unclear, particularly “whose neck is removed,” which requires the reader to infer that this refers to the lower bottle. Organising the body strictly by the numbered stages, and using clearer references such as “the lower bottle,” would make the progression more consistent and cohesion less dependent on inference.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant process vocabulary, including “clamped,” “constant level,” “releasing,” and “graduated,” and these choices show an attempt to describe the equipment precisely. However, several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems limit clarity and naturalness. “Water fauchet” is not the appropriate term, “The water clock includes a water” is unclear, and “measurement bottle” is less precise than a term such as “collecting bottle.” There are also misspellings such as “intially,” “Aferwards,” and “nech.” Aim for accurate technical nouns and natural process collocations, and proofread spelling carefully. This would make the vocabulary more reliable while retaining the useful range already attempted.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “whose neck is removed” and the time clause beginning “Once the water reaches.” Most of the process remains understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “There is small hole” needs an article, while “until the water fills up to the neck” has an awkward verb pattern. The sentence “The plastic bottle is graduated with markings at the bottle at one minute interval” also has unclear structure and number agreement. Some punctuation and sentence-boundary choices make the description less fluent. Practise accurate articles, plural forms, and concise passive constructions, such as “The lower bottle is marked at one-minute intervals.”

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