Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-07

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)

To live a healthy life it is very crucial to have easy access to clean drinking water for every possible living being. Therefore, it is necessary that there should not be any charges on the water facilities for every possible house. In my opinion it is not so humane for any person to put charges on drinking water. Without any clean drinking water it's nearly impossible to have a healthy and steady life.

From my standpoint, the government has the responsibility to its residents and to take care of their basic necessities such as clean water to drink. If there isn't enough supply of potable water then it means all the taxes are paid in vain.

Clean water is as essential for adults as it is for children. By not giving its access to citizens for free they are playing with their basic human rights. For instance if there is not pure drinking water for humans they will be easily susceptible diseases like diarrhoea and stomach problems.

Furthermore, 75% of human bodies are basically made up of water this fact shows how much significance water has in human life. Not only our bodies contain 75% of water but earth also contains 75% of water. Therefore we can utilise the water from Mother Earth and make it clean enough to drink. Due to this fact, it is of great importance that clean drinking water should be delivered to the threshold of every

residential area without any water bills to make their lives easier.

To recapitulate, clean and pure drinking water is the basic necessity of human beings therefore every residential area should have the access to it without paying any penny.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You argue consistently that water should be free as a basic human right. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention health benefits and the abundance of water on Earth, the arguments lack depth and fail to address potential counter-arguments, such as the economic feasibility or the risk of water wastage if provided for free. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed reasoning or specific real-world examples beyond general statements about health and the composition of the human body.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central idea. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', and 'To recapitulate' to link your thoughts. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the idea of human health and the composition of the Earth feels abrupt. Additionally, the use of referencing is occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'clean drinking water'. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring smoother transitions between paragraphs would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'potable water', 'basic necessities', and 'susceptible'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'not so humane' or 'playing with their basic human rights'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. Expanding your vocabulary to include more sophisticated synonyms for common words will help you achieve a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'there should not be any charges on the water facilities for every possible house' is slightly awkward, and 'susceptible diseases' should be 'susceptible to diseases'. There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositions. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions will help improve your accuracy.

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

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