Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-17
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)
Clean water is the most important and basic need for human beings. So accessing clean water is the right of the human. In my opinion, it is more necessary to use clean water because it benefits staying healthy, for drinking, for cooking, washing utensils, cleaning homes and doing many other things for our living purposes.
I strongly believe that people all over the world, despite their color, creed, culture and every other factor, everyone needs fresh water for their personal use. The gardeners need water to give it to their plants. If they give pure water to them, plants grow healthy, provide us with beautiful flowers, and it also cleans the atmosphere.
In restaurants and homes, water is used for cleaning floors, cooking food, washing clothes, making juices. If the water is not clean, then everything. The floors, clothes remain dirty, juices are unhygienic. The people who take it get sick, and it also affects the reputation of the restaurants. While in homes, people are then admitted to hospitals. They will be unable to do their routine jobs. They may suffer financially because of hospital expenditures.
In factories, water is used in many products. The products are produced in vast amounts. So, when they are delivered and used by local people, it affects the whole group of people who use them and SUFFERED WITH health issues. On the other hand, the factory may face the loss of their retailers etc.
In conclusion, water is the basic human need all over the world, so I strongly agree that the use of clean water makes life more beautiful, healthy, enjoyable, and has a good impact on the atmosphere too.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the topic of clean water as a human right, but it fails to engage with the core of the prompt: the economic argument regarding whether it should be provided 'free of charge'. The essay focuses almost exclusively on the importance of clean water for health and hygiene, which is a general truth rather than an argument for free provision. Consequently, the position is not fully developed in relation to the specific task requirements. While the ideas are relevant to the general theme, the lack of discussion on the economic or policy implications of 'free' water limits the depth of the response, resulting in a task response that is only partially addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the general flow. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'In restaurants and homes', 'In factories'). Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, and the logical connection between the importance of clean water and the specific argument for it being free of charge is missing. While the paragraphing is functional, the internal cohesion within paragraphs often relies on simple listing rather than sophisticated linking, which restricts the flow of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'doing many other things', 'beautiful flowers', and 'routine jobs' are functional but lack the precision and academic tone expected at higher bands. There are some inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'suffer with health issues' (should be 'suffer from') and 'take it' (referring to water). The range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions that would demonstrate a more flexible command of the language.
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 that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'accessing clean water is the right of the human' (awkward phrasing) and 'If the water is not clean, then everything. The floors, clothes remain dirty' (fragmented sentence). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction and the lack of variety in complex structures prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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