Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-04

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 given diagram illustrates the process that how we can create our own water clock with the help of plastic bottle and some other material . Here, they are showing the whole model and its way. As they mention its stages even which are basically 7.

Firslty, we can see that there is a tap at the stage 1 which is on, it shows that the water is out flowing from the tap into the first plastic bottle which is below the tap. The water is flowing drop by drop here. secondly, we can observe from this model that they that attach the bottle with the stand with the help of tape. moreover, there is a straw which is also attach with it in the botlle with the help of glue.

next the bottle is overflows because the hole is covered witha finger. in the following stage, the finger is removed from the hole to prevent the overflowor leakage. here the second bottle is also made of plastic and its top is cutted. it is placed right below the frst bottle. lastly, the minutes are marked alsp. this process can be empty and done repeatedly to measure the timings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response identifies the diagram as a water-clock process and includes several relevant features: the tap, two plastic bottles, the stand, tape, glue, straw, and repeated use for timing. However, some stages are misreported or unclear. The upper bottle is filled until water overflows through the straw; the hole is covered while it is being filled, not described as the reason the bottle overflows. The account also says the finger is removed “to prevent the overflow or leakage,” whereas this releases the water to drip into the lower bottle. The calibration marks are mentioned, but their purpose—showing levels per minute—is not clearly explained. A more accurate overview and clearer description of the sequence would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence, moving from the apparatus to later stages, and uses markers such as “Firstly,” “next,” and “lastly.” This gives the reader some sense of order. However, progression is not consistently clear: the description shifts between construction details and operating stages, and the sequence of filling, overflow, and releasing the finger is difficult to follow. Some linking words are used mechanically or inaccurately, including “moreover” and “in the following stage,” while “Here” is repeated without clarifying what it refers to. Organise the report into an introduction and overview, followed by a step-by-step account, and use transitions that explicitly show what happens before and after each action.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to identify the main objects and actions, including “tap,” “stand,” “straw,” “hole,” and “marked.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the process harder to understand. For example, “water is out flowing” is not natural for describing water leaving a tap, and “the bottle is overflows” does not express the intended action. “The minutes are marked” is also imprecise because the marks indicate water levels corresponding to minutes. Spelling errors such as “Firslty,” “botlle,” and “frst” are noticeable. Use precise process vocabulary such as “flows,” “overflows,” “drips,” and “calibration marks,” and check spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships between actions unclear. Examples include “the process that how we can create,” “they that attach the bottle,” and “the bottle is overflows.” There are also problems with articles and sentence construction in “with the help of plastic bottle,” and the final sentence, “this process can be empty and done repeatedly,” does not form a clear grammatical description. Capitalisation and punctuation are also uneven, particularly at the starts of sentences. Practise building accurate process sentences with a clear subject and verb—for example, “The upper bottle is attached to the stand with tape”—and use consistent present-tense forms throughout.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.