Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-02

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)

Water is a basic human need which should be freely available to every human with no cost.

In my understanding, water is very essential element in our life. Not only humans but also the animals are subject for getting sufficient water in order to live a proper life. Water not only hydrates our body but also it supplies various minerals to the body which are very essential for development.

Just like air, water should also be provided to every individual because one of the basic necessity for existence. For instance, several countries in Africa are facing problems related to very less access of water to the people. Due to which, the whole country is suffering from dehydration and malnutrition. Due to lack of water supply, these people are tend to eat dry food suppliments leading to improper development of individuals. As of now, the whole generation of such countries with lack of water supply are on the edge of mayor health issues.

In Addition, some middle eastern countries were used to face problems related to water but instead of letting the whole population dying, the government and stakeholders of the countries have invested a huge amount of money to build a technology for converting salty water of sees and oceans to drinkable water for the citizens. Consequently, this has proven to be very beneficial for the citizen's health.

The European Union has made up a strict rule that every household and even every tourist place in the European countries must have a proper supply of free water because water is a basic human need and it has to be provided to every individual at no cost at all.

Thus, my opinion strongly supports the idea of free water supply to every household as it is a basic human right to access water.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position in favor of free water supply. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of water scarcity in Africa and technological solutions in the Middle East. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. The argument relies on general statements rather than deep analysis of the economic or logistical implications of providing free water to every home. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. The essay covers all parts of the task, but the depth of reasoning is limited, keeping it at a solid mid-level performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition', 'Consequently', and 'Thus', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The progression of ideas is generally clear, though the link between the European Union example and the broader argument about 'basic human rights' could be more explicitly stated to improve the flow. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the logical structure is sufficient to follow the writer's train of thought without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. There are some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'very less access' instead of 'limited access', 'dry food suppliments' (spelling error), and 'mayor health issues' (spelling error). The phrase 'salty water of sees' is also inaccurate. While the writer attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'stakeholders' and 'dehydration', the overall range is somewhat limited. To improve, the student should focus on more accurate collocations and avoid basic spelling mistakes that detract from the professional tone of the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'water is very essential element' (missing article), 'these people are tend to' (incorrect verb form), and 'countries were used to face' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction often feels slightly unnatural. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they occur frequently enough to indicate a lack of full control over complex structures. Increasing the variety of error-free complex sentences would significantly improve the score in this criterion.

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

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