Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-03

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 image delineates the stages to build our own water clock. There is a plastic bottle with a straw attached to its upper level with glue. This bottle also has a small hole at the bottom for water to pass through. It is attached to an L-shaped stand at a suitable distance from the ground with the help of tape. At the bottom, there is another plastic bottle, but with its neck cut off.

The process is simple. First, tap water fills the upper plastic bottle, which is secured with tape. The hole at the bottom must be kept covered with a finger until the bottle is filled. After a moment, as water fills the bottle, it reaches a constant level, causing water to start dripping through the straw.

As soon as the finger is removed from the hole, water starts dripping into the bottom plastic bottle. There are labeled levels on this bottle, which help to read the correct measurement of the water. Last but not least, empty the bottle and start repeat the process for timing things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main apparatus and give a broadly chronological account, including the upper bottle, overflow straw, lower bottle and the final instruction to repeat the process. However, some important details are inaccurate or unclear, which limits how fully the diagram is reported. In particular, water does not begin dripping through the straw: the straw drains excess water so the level in the upper bottle remains constant. The stages “levels per minute” and marking calibration lines are also not explained clearly, and the account does not make clear that the lower bottle collects the water dripping through the hole. Focus on accurately describing the purpose of each component and how the stages produce a timed measurement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, moving from a description of the equipment to the operating sequence, and signposts such as “First,” “As soon as” and “Last but not least” help the reader follow the process. This gives the report a coherent overall progression. Some links between stages are less clear, however: “After a moment” does not precisely show that the water reaches the straw’s overflow level, and the transition from the constant level to removing the finger could be more explicit. The final sentence also combines emptying and repeating without clearly connecting these actions to timing. Use stage-focused transitions and clearer references to the upper and lower bottles to make the sequence more precise and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “attached,” “secured,” “dripping,” “labeled levels” and “measurement,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific description, such as “L-shaped stand” and “constant level.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for this diagram: “tap water fills” can suggest water from a tap rather than the action of turning the tap on, while “correct measurement of the water” is vague. “Start repeat” is also an awkward word combination. Choose terms that distinguish the overflow straw from the hole at the bottle’s base, and use precise process language such as “overflow,” “calibration marks” and “record the time.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “another plastic bottle, but with its neck cut off” and the time clause beginning “As soon as the finger is removed.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. In “start repeat the process,” the verb pattern is incorrect; use “start repeating” or “repeat the process.” The instruction “empty the bottle and start…” also shifts into an imperative after the preceding description, making the style less consistent. There is some effective control of passive forms, such as “is secured with tape,” but maintain a consistent report style and check verb patterns and tense choices.

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