Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-16
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)
There are some basics human rights and those rights should be fulfilled. Among these rights, access to clean water is a basic right and it should be given to every person.
Clean water is very huge blessing. Water is very important for life. It help us to survive. Its importance can be estimated that 70% of world is water and 30% is land. Water is important in everyone life and used for many purposes like drinking, washing, cooking etc. That is why importance of water cannot be denied. The government has a duty to protect human rights. All over the world, the Ministry of Human Rights works to safeguard these rights, and courts protect people when rights are broken. So, to provide humans with basic rights is very important. As survival is not possible without water so water supply is used everywhere.
In general, we pay tax to government for everything but the water supply should be provided free of charge, as it is our right to use clean water. It should not include any tax or bill. And I totally agree with this, because water is a natural blessing and as humans it is our right to use this. There are a large number of sources of water such as lakes, glaciers, rivers, etc. Access to clean water ensures a fair and equal standard of living for everyone. Free water stops the spread of deadly diseases and keeps whole communities safe.
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 essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the main arguments—such as the role of government in human rights and the health benefits of clean water—are relevant, they remain somewhat superficial. The essay lacks depth in exploring the economic implications or the feasibility of providing water free of charge, which would have strengthened the argument. Because the response is under-length, the development of ideas is restricted, preventing it from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for an argumentative task. There is a clear progression of ideas from the definition of human rights to the specific argument for free water. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'Water is...', 'That is why...'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between the general discussion of human rights and the specific proposal for free water could be smoother. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is quite short, limiting the overall flow of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. The student relies on basic, repetitive terms such as 'huge', 'important', and 'basic'. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary like 'safeguard' and 'communities', but these are limited. Collocations are occasionally unnatural, such as 'very huge blessing'. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic synonyms and precise terminology related to public policy and socio-economic issues to convey ideas more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the 70% of world', 'the Ministry of Human Rights'), subject-verb agreement ('It help us'), and pluralization ('basics human rights'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. The range of structures is limited, and the student would benefit from practicing more complex sentence forms, such as conditional clauses or passive voice, while ensuring accuracy in basic grammar rules.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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