Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-29
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)
It has become a basic human necessity of access to clean water. In the modern era, the pollution drastically deteriorates the quality of water. Most of the countries have to rely on unfiltered water which is ruining the health of humans. The communities work really hard to set up water purification infrastructure so that they able to get pure water.
Considering the health and wellness factors of humans, I partially agree with the statement that water should be supplied to every household. Regarding cost, it could be flexible. The families which can afford the cost of water could be in paid category while the households that are not able to pay the cost of clean water should be facilitated. Moreover, the government should make policies to encourage divisions and districts to build resources of clean water. They should consider the value of clean water when they make annual budget. The implementation of law of check and balance for distribution of pure water among households should be held.
For example, in recent years, many countries like Africa and Asia have reported the spread of cholera. This is the disease which is spread due to the exposure to unclean water. This all happened due to lack of access of clean water.
In conclusion, the clean water is basic need of people. It should be supplied to every household. In respect of payment, authorities could consider the financial status of families. Overall, by doing this we can mitigate the risk of disease and improve human wellbeing.
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, albeit nuanced, position. You successfully identify the core tension between water as a human right and the economic reality of service provision. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the need for government policy and budget allocation, these points remain general and could be strengthened with more specific examples of how such systems function in practice. The example regarding cholera in Africa and Asia is relevant but lacks depth; explaining how a specific government policy successfully mitigated such risks would have provided better support for your argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Moreover' and 'In conclusion,' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'This all happened' in the third paragraph, which refers back to a broad situation rather than a specific antecedent. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall cohesion of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'infrastructure,' 'mitigate,' and 'facilitated' appropriately. However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations, such as 'divisions and districts' or 'law of check and balance,' which sound unnatural in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, there is a lack of the more sophisticated or idiomatic language required for higher band scores. Expanding your repertoire of academic collocations would significantly improve the precision of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'they able to get' (missing verb 'are') and 'the clean water is basic need' (missing article 'a'). Additionally, phrases like 'the implementation of law of check and balance... should be held' are grammatically awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would enhance your accuracy.
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.