Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-29

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 diagram illustrates the process for making a water clock.

Overall, the process consists of seven stages, beginning with tap on and ending at emptying and repeating the process for timing things. It also includes plastic bottle, glue, straw, tape and a stand.

There is a stand on which two plastic bottles are placed, one is attached with a tape on the upper side below the tap, and the second is placed on the bottom with the neck being cut off. One straw is attached to the upper bottle with glue and there is a hole on the bottom of the bottle placed above.

To begin with, tap is on and the hole on the bottom of bottle is covered with finger. The bottle is filled until water reached the level of straw and it started flowing from it and remains constant . After that keep the finger aside from the hole, water started flowing down in the bottle and it is marked at levels per minute.Finally, it is emptied and process is repeated for timing things

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The report covers the main purpose and gives a clear start-to-finish account, including the seven stages, the bottle arrangement, the overflow straw and the final repeated use. The overview identifies the process as beginning with turning on the tap and ending with emptying and repeating it. Most details match the diagram, including covering the hole while filling and then allowing water to flow into the lower bottle. However, some points are unclear or incomplete: “it is marked at levels per minute” does not clearly explain that the lower bottle’s water level is marked at one-minute intervals, and the constant level is mentioned without explaining that excess water drains through the straw. Clarifying these key functions would make the account more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the apparatus and then the operating stages. Connectors such as “To begin with,” “After that” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process. However, the apparatus paragraph interrupts the chronological account, and the transition from filling to measuring could be clearer. Some linking is mechanical, while the long final paragraph combines several stages without enough sentence separation. For example, the shift from “the hole…is covered” to filling and overflow would benefit from clearer sequencing. Use distinct paragraphs for the equipment and the stages, and connect each stage explicitly to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Vocabulary is adequate for describing this process, with relevant terms such as “stand,” “attached,” “overflow,” “hole” and “levels per minute.” The writer also uses process language such as “beginning,” “After that” and “Finally.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however. “Tap on” is better expressed as “turning on the tap,” and “keep the finger aside from the hole” does not naturally describe removing it. “It is marked at levels per minute” is also unclear about what is being marked. More precise process vocabulary, including “water level,” “drain” and “calibration marks,” would help explain the apparatus and its function accurately. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the general process.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “There is a stand on which two plastic bottles are placed” and the sentence describing the bottle being filled. The sequence remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Articles are missing in phrases such as “tap is on” and “covered with finger”; verb forms shift awkwardly in “it started flowing” and “After that keep the finger aside… water started flowing.” The sentence beginning “There is a stand…” also joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, particularly around sentence endings. Use consistent present simple or passive forms for the process, and check articles, clause boundaries and punctuation.

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