Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-03
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)
Humans have several fundamental rights that should be provided and availability of clean water is one of them. State should focus to provide this facility to their populace without any charge is an intense debate, however, I strongly stick to the idea of access to clean water should be provided free of cost.
A significant reason in support of accessibility of water is that it is a basic human right and no one can survive without having it. For instance, research shows the evidence that a person can live three days without food but cannot survive more than a day without water. Therefore, charge money for this basic need is equal to let the people die. Another reason is the societal stability and progress. A good state policy leads the cooperative environment in the society where citizens are given complete free access to their basic needs. Similarly, basic human needs can never be purchased by paying a cost.
However, the world facing challenges regarding shortage of water pushes some state governments to put charge on water supplies. This move is beneficial in order to escape from the more water challenges. Furthermore, paying a cost for even a drinking water aware the individuals to safe water and avoid its wastage. They should act
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 212 words. This significantly impacts the development of your ideas. While you clearly state your position in the introduction, the final paragraph is incomplete and trails off, leaving the argument unfinished. The ideas presented, such as the biological necessity of water and the economic argument for conservation, are relevant but lack the depth and extension required for a higher band. To improve, ensure you fully develop each body paragraph with specific examples and maintain a consistent structure until the conclusion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Therefore', and 'Furthermore' to link sentences. However, the flow is interrupted by the incomplete ending of the essay. Additionally, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect ideas more fluidly and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, complete structure that leads logically to the next.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'societal stability', 'water supplies', and 'wastage'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'State should focus to provide' (should focus on providing) and 'charge money for this basic need is equal to let the people die' (charging for this basic need is equivalent to allowing people to die). Expanding your range of academic vocabulary and improving your grasp of collocations will help you achieve a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as missing articles ('State should focus', 'in the society'), incorrect verb forms ('charge money' instead of 'charging money'), and awkward phrasing ('the world facing challenges' instead of 'the world faces challenges'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the clarity of your writing. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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