Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13

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 justice is a very sensitive topic. On Earth, the water consists of seawater and freshwater of 97% and 3% respectively. The 3% freshwater provides water to all living beings on this planet. In the year 1974, Water Act was established in India to provide wholesome quality drinking water. Each living being has the right to have and utilize the natural resources. Without freshwater, an average person can live upto only 3 days.

Given the current population it is quite challenging to provide clean water to all, especially, humans. Using it wisely is very important. The government is trying its best to provide clean water in their country including secluded areas. It is observed that although water is supplied, many are misusing it. It is because, we, humans if provided something for free, take it for granted. Many times, we leave the taps open or even the taps are broken sometimes we don't fix it. As a result, the clean water leaks and directly goes to drain which is of no use. That wasted water could have gone to a poor person's mouth.

The developed countries utilize more water than developing countries. The population of developed countries is less and the utilization of water is much more whereas, the developing countries are struggling to provide water to their people. For example, so many children in Africa die every year because, they aren't given sufficient clean water and they are thirsty; they have no choice but to drink dirty water which brings in a lot of diseases like cholera, viruses, and many more.

In my opinion, everyone should have access to clean water supply unless they are misusing it then, they should pay necessary charge. Water flow meters should be installed to analyze any misuse done by that particular home, if so, they should pay tax of the water wasted.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position that while clean water is a basic right, free provision leads to misuse, and a conditional charging system should apply to excessive usage. The position is maintained throughout the response. Ideas are developed, such as discussing the global disparity in water usage and the problem of wastage when utilities are free. However, some arguments lack deeper extension, such as the brief and slightly disconnected statistics mentioned in the opening paragraph about seawater versus freshwater. Overall, the response successfully tackles the prompt, covering both the rights aspect and the economic/conservation perspective adequately, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from general background and resource facts to human behavior, global comparisons, and finally a nuanced personal conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the discussion of human misuse in the second paragraph and global inequalities in the third paragraph. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly deployed, such as transitional phrases like 'In the year 1974' or repetitive referencing ('The population of developed countries is less and the utilization of water is much more whereas...'). Additionally, some sentence-to-sentence links are abrupt, but the overarching structure remains easy to follow, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and topic-specific terms such as 'wholesome quality drinking water', 'secluded areas', 'take it for granted', and 'water flow meters'. However, there are notable limitations and word-choice errors that prevent a higher band, such as 'the water consists of seawater and freshwater of 97% and 3%' (awkward phrasing) and 'analysing any misuse done by that particular home' (unnatural collocation). Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent, meaning the vocabulary range is sufficient for communication but lacks the flexibility and precision required for Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at conditional structures and relative clauses (e.g., 'If we, humans if provided something for free, take it for granted'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation awkwardness, such as dangling modifiers, comma splices, and run-on structures (e.g., 'unless they are misusing it then, they should pay necessary charge'). While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur regularly throughout the text. The grammatical control fluctuates between successful complex sentences and flawed elementary structures, which is characteristic of the Band 6 level.

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

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