Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The diagram demonstrates the process of constructing a water clock comprising of 7 different stages. This report will include the elements included in the process and functioning at each stage. The diagram illustrates a stand which consists of two plastic bottles, and straw. One bottle (which has an open head) is placed at the bottom of stand and another is tied with tape at the top of the stand.

The first stage of building a water clock is turning the tap on to fill the water into the upper plastic bottle and following by covering the hole with finger. The third stage will be to fill the top of the bottle to overflow and once the level remains constant, we will put the finger away from the hole.

An important stage is when the levels will be calculated per minute and finally will be emptied and the process will be repeated for timing things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a seven-stage process and include several key actions, including filling the upper bottle, allowing the water level to stabilise, removing a finger from the hole, and repeating the process. However, the report does not fully explain how the apparatus is assembled or how it works. For example, it omits the straw’s overflow function and the lower bottle’s role in collecting water and being marked with timing levels. The sequence is also unclear in places: covering the hole is described after turning on the tap, but the relationship between these actions and filling to overflow needs clearer explanation. Develop the overview and describe the equipment and stages more completely to make the account more informative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction and equipment description are followed by the operating stages. Sequencing phrases such as “The first stage,” “The third stage,” and “finally” help the reader follow the process. However, the progression is not consistently clear because several stages are compressed into two paragraphs, and stages four and five are joined without explaining the transition. The final paragraph also combines calibration, emptying, and repeating in one sentence. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated use of stage labels. Organise the report into a clear overview, construction details, and operating sequence, and use precise references such as “the upper bottle” and “the lower container” to connect ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “stand,” “plastic bottles,” “tape,” “tap,” and “hole,” so the reader can identify much of the equipment and procedure. There is also some attempt at more formal wording, such as “constructing” and “illustrates.” However, several choices are awkward or imprecise: “open head” does not clearly describe the lower bottle with its neck cut off, “tied with tape” is not the natural description of how the upper bottle is attached, and “levels will be calculated per minute” does not accurately express marking the water level at one-minute intervals. Use more precise terms for the components and actions, such as “secured,” “overflow straw,” and “mark the water level at one-minute intervals.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and longer sentences, and most of the process remains understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and verb forms are noticeable. In “comprising of 7 different stages,” the verb pattern is incorrect; use “comprising seven stages” or “consisting of seven stages.” “The third stage will be to fill” shifts unnecessarily into a future construction, while the report should describe the diagram consistently in the present simple. The sentence beginning “The first stage … and following by covering” is also grammatically incomplete in its second part. In addition, “a stand which consists of two plastic bottles, and straw” has an unclear relationship between the stand and the components. Practise parallel verb forms and clear clause construction in process descriptions.

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