Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-09
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Access to clean water is a basic human right. Therefore every home should have a water supply that is provided free of charge.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
to pure clean water is for sure a necessary right for all human beings. It is one of the things needed to survive on this planet. Now, some people might argue that only and only water is required and the state of cleanliness of it should be a secondary thing to ensure, while others argue that there is no point in having water which, in some cases is not clean, can result to be fatal.
However all this debate comes down to one point whether or not this water shall be free of cost for humans. Let us look at it from a more familiar approach. All humans on earth have free will and a sight to life; what will happen if one day someone comes up to us and says that is he or she who owns the air that we breathe in and just like that forces us to pay for over lives. This would not be acceptable to any human and they would be taking measures against.
Just like that our earth was created with all the water it had even before humans came into existence hence proving us that no person or no government is the sole protector of the earth's water resources.
Water was created for the dwellers of soil and creatures of the sea and all mankind to utilize. The creator of it did not ask us to pay for it by any means of money then who are we to charge for such a basic thing which we do not even own?
We all have seen countries going to work claiming the ownership of the water resources and if one of them does win all the effort goes down to nothing when in the end they tax their own countrymen for it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of free water. However, the development of ideas is somewhat philosophical and abstract rather than practical. The argument relies heavily on the concept of 'natural rights' and 'ownership,' but fails to address the economic or logistical implications of providing free water, such as infrastructure maintenance or resource management. This limits the depth of the response. While the position is consistent, the lack of concrete, real-world examples or counter-argument analysis keeps the response at a lower band level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is sometimes disjointed. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'However', 'Just like that'), they are sometimes used mechanically or inappropriately, such as the phrase 'Just like that' to introduce a new argument. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow of ideas feels more like a stream of consciousness than a structured academic argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'result to be fatal' instead of 'result in fatalities' and 'dwellers of soil'. The range is limited, and the student relies on repetitive phrasing. While the meaning is clear, the lack of varied, academic vocabulary prevents a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'a sight to life' (likely meant 'a right to life'), 'is he or she who owns' (awkward syntax), and 'going to work' (likely meant 'going to war'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity and professional tone of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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