Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-02

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 gives information about how can we build our own clock using water.overall this was manmade and can be used simply using the bottles and a stand to keep on.

Get a L-shaped stand and then take a container marking it with levels and rest it on the base of the stand. while take a plastic bottle and tape it along the side of the stand and make two holes at bottom and top of the bottle and a straw need to be installed at the top of the bottle using glue.

Now, place the bottle at the tap so that water gets filled in the bottle, while cover the hole that was made at the bottom of the bottle with finger, if there was overflow of water it drips along the straw at the top. so that, the water will be stayed at the constant level and then the finger should removed away from the hole and the water reaches the container below by leveling up per minute. for timing things we can repeat the process by emptying the water.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The report covers the main construction and operating stages: it mentions the stand, the two bottles, the straw, filling the upper bottle, releasing the water, and repeating the process for timing. These details are generally relevant and show an understanding of the diagram. However, some points are unclear or not fully accurate. For example, the lower bottle is described as being “marking it with levels,” but the diagram shows calibration lines being added, and “the water reaches the container below by leveling up per minute” does not clearly explain that the levels rise at a rate of one per minute. The overview is also vague (“can be used simply”) rather than summarising how the apparatus measures time. A clearer overview and more precise explanation of the stages would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a broadly logical order, moving from assembling the apparatus to filling it and using it to measure time. The paragraph breaks also separate construction from operation. However, the progression is not always easy to follow because several stages are packed into long sentences, particularly the final sentence beginning “Now, place the bottle at the tap.” Connectors such as “while” and “so that” are sometimes used mechanically or do not show the intended relationship clearly. The opening also runs directly into “overall” without appropriate punctuation. Use shorter, clearly sequenced steps and more precise links such as “Next,” “Once the bottle is full,” and “Finally” to make the process easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a relevant range of process vocabulary, including “stand,” “container,” “tape,” “straw,” “overflow,” and “repeat the process.” This is enough to communicate the general procedure, but some choices are imprecise or unnatural for a diagram report. “Marking it with levels” is unclear, while “the water will be stayed” and “leveling up per minute” do not express the intended measurement accurately. “Keep on” is also vague in the description of the stand. Aim for precise terms for the apparatus and its function, and use natural collocations such as “mark calibration lines,” “remain at a constant level,” and “rise by one level per minute.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to combine stages using subordinate clauses, for example “so that water gets filled” and “if there was overflow,” but control is uneven. Some sentence structures are faulty, including “how can we build” after “information about,” “while cover the hole,” and “the finger should removed.” Verb forms and tense also need attention: “the water will be stayed” is not grammatical, and the process is more consistently described in the present simple. Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, as in “water.overall” and the lowercase “while” after a full stop. These errors sometimes make the sequence harder to understand. Practise accurate present-simple instructions and divide complex stages into complete sentences.

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