Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-11
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)
It is widely argued that having access to clean water is basic human rights and everyone should have access to fresh and clean water but other thinks that clean water should not be free , it should be charged . Before giving my opinion, I will give reasons for both perspective given above .
On the one hand , It is widely believed having access to clean and fresh water is basic human right , and that`s true . Everyone should have an access to clean water especially in urban areas , fresh water is beneficial for residents because of their health issues, if water provided to residents is not clean it will cause several diseases. For instance, waterbone disease and many other gut issues. If water is not clean then people belong to low class will access to contaminated water or other harmful sources which is more dangerous for them.
On the other hand , If great source of human live , water is provided free to everyone then it will lose its importance. many people will use it wrongly. authorities should provide facilities for it . If water is free then it can damage infrastructure and other sources. Leakage of water piping and wastage of water will become a common problem in urban areas. Similarly , the company providing clean water will face huge financial hardships. They can also lose there jobs .
In my perspective , Clean water should be provided to everyone but having access to it freely is not a good idea. I completely disagree with it. Clean water should be charged fairly so everyone can easily afford it. Government should act for giving affordable and clean water.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address the central issue and give a clear final position: you disagree with free household water and support charging an affordable price. The response also considers both sides, including health risks from contaminated water and possible waste or infrastructure costs. However, the discussion is only partly developed. For example, the claim that free water would make people use it wrongly is asserted rather than explained or supported with a specific example. The point about providers facing financial hardship is also unclear, and the opening promises reasons for both perspectives without establishing how these lead to your own view. To strengthen the response, explain the reasoning behind your position and develop each main point with a concrete example or consequence.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a concluding opinion. Phrases such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In my perspective” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several claims are placed together without clear links. For instance, the discussion moves from free water losing importance to infrastructure damage, leakage, and providers losing jobs, without explaining the connections between these ideas. Some linking phrases and punctuation are also used mechanically. Make each paragraph centre on one main reason, then connect its explanation and example explicitly; this would make the argument easier to follow while preserving the clear overall arrangement.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “contaminated water,” “diseases,” “infrastructure,” “wastage,” and “affordable.” These choices show an adequate range for discussing access and cost. However, the range is limited in places, and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce precision. Examples include “waterbone disease,” “great source of human live,” “low class,” and “lose there jobs.” Repetition of “clean and fresh water” and “free” also limits flexibility. Aim to use more precise expressions for social groups, public services, and financial effects, and check spelling carefully. More accurate collocations would help your ideas sound clearer and more natural without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “If water is not clean then people…” and a reason clause beginning “because of their health issues.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the main argument is generally understandable. However, errors occur across sentence forms and sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “having access to clean water is basic human rights” has a subject–complement agreement problem, while “Everyone should have an access” uses an unnecessary article. The sentence beginning “If great source of human live…” is incomplete, and several long sentences join multiple ideas without reliable punctuation. Practise building complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and review articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries.
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