Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17
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)
Clean water is one of the major necessity for human life and therefore access to it is a basic right of every human being. Therefore, I strongly agree with the statement because water is an extremely important element for survival and by charging for it, people who belong to low financial status might suffer.
One of the most necessary element for a human life is clean water. Its importance can be understood from the fact that our bodies are made up of 80% water and therefore, drinking appropriate amount of water everyday is mandatory to sustain our health. However, its benefits are not only limited to health, it is also used for all basic tasks in our daily lives. Either it is bathing or cleaning or cooking meals, all of these purposes require access to clean water. For example, it is medically encouraged to drink at least eight glasses of water everyday to have healthy kidneys and skin.
Furthermore, people who are less financially previledged deserve equal access to clean water because despite one's financial background, the importance of water do not change. They would also need it for the same purposes as of any other human being. Therefore, it is unethical to take someone's right away by putting a price tag on one of the most important necessity. For example, countries like Africa still have no access to clean water. Due to this, their citizens often suffer through dehydration.
In conclusion, it is basic human right to have access to clean water. I overwhelmingly agree to this as it is one of the most important element for sustainable life and despite one's financial capacity, it should be available to all humans.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student addresses all parts of the task by clearly stating a position in the introduction and maintaining it throughout the essay. The stance is that clean water is a basic human right and should be provided free of charge, supported by reasons relating to health, daily tasks, and equity for lower-income individuals. Ideas are extended, particularly in the second paragraph regarding health benefits and daily uses, and in the third paragraph regarding financial disadvantage. However, there is some repetition in the development of ideas, such as repeatedly stating that water is an important necessity across different paragraphs, and a factual generalization regarding countries like Africa. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7 for a clear position and relevant support, though the depth of idea extension is slightly limited.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Logical sequencing is present, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct sub-topic: health and daily use in the second paragraph, and financial privilege in the third. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or repetitive. For example, the student overuses the transitional phrase 'Therefore' at the beginning of sentences ('Therefore, I strongly agree...', 'Therefore, it is unethical...'), and the referencing is occasionally clunky or repetitive. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the mechanical use of cohesive devices prevents the response from achieving a higher band. Progression is generally clear, though the connection between sentences could be smoother. This corresponds well to a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and subject-specific terms such as 'sustainable life', 'dehydration', and 'financial capacity'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'previledged' instead of 'privileged' and the grammatical collocation error 'countries like Africa still have no access' where a region is personified rather than its inhabitants or nations. Additionally, there is repetition of basic lexical items like 'necessary', 'necessity', 'important', and 'water' throughout the text. While these errors and limitations do not impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to a solid Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over clause structures with constructions like 'The importance can be understood from the fact that...' and 'Furthermore, people who are less financially previledged deserve...'. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing instances, such as 'Clean water is one of the major necessity' (plurality error), 'drinking appropriate amount' (missing article), 'the importance of water do not change' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'Either it is bathing or cleaning' (incorrect correlative conjunction structure). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the frequency of grammatical slips in basic structures prevents a higher score, placing this performance securely in the Band 6.0 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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