Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-26
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)
The three basic needs for survival are food, water and shelter. This statement explains the importance of having access to clean water. Hence I agree with the statement that every home should have a free supply of clean water.
Firstly, it is important to understand that there are several unprivilaged people in the society. This means everyone in the society does not have access to clean water. Hence government, who is working for the public should channel a section of their finance to ensure that basic needs for the survival of the public are full filled. For example already government is channelling there finance to provide free mid day meals for every children in the state of Kerala attending school. The ensures food which is one of the basic needs of survival are full filled. Similarly a scheme has to be developed to provide free clean supply of water.
Secondly, if the government is able to provide clean water supply to every home it will also benefit humanity as a whole. Most of the diseases that spread are water born. These water born diseases still prevail in the society because many people in the world do not have access to clean water, thus relying on any nearby dirty source of water. If a proper clean water system is implemented by government, major water born diseases can be eradicated.
In conclusion, there are several non profit organizations trying their best to provide a clean water source. But to make a real difference the government has to step in and channel a small portion of tax income to provide a reliable source of clean water. This will also result in reduction of water born diseases which means government can spend less on healthcare.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt directly, taking a clear position that clean water should be provided free of charge by the government. The main ideas are relevant, including the argument regarding underprivileged people and the public health benefits of eradicating water-borne diseases. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and relies on generalisations rather than deep exploration. The example of mid-day meals in Kerala is relevant, but the overall elaboration remains fairly basic. It aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor, as all parts of the task are addressed, but some ideas could have been more fully extended and supported with stronger evidence.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as the social welfare argument versus the public health argument. Cohesive devices are employed, including transitional phrases like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally mechanical or repetitive (e.g., frequent use of 'Hence' and 'This means'), and logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. This places the performance firmly in the Band 6 category, where cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, but the overall progression remains clear.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their main arguments clearly. There are attempts to use less common items such as 'eradicated', 'underprivileged', and 'non-profit organizations'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('unprivilaged', 'full filled' instead of 'fulfilled', 'born' instead of 'borne') and awkward word choices ('channel a section of their finance', 'dirty source'). These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 6, reflecting an adequate range that attempts less common vocabulary with some recurring spelling and word-choice inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional and relative structures (e.g., 'if the government is able to provide...', 'Most of the diseases that spread are...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding article use ('the government', 'a free clean supply'), preposition selection, and plural/singular agreement ('every children'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while the errors are noticeable, they rarely impede overall comprehension. This performance fits the Band 6 descriptor, featuring a mix of structures and some errors in grammar that do not obstruct communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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