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)

Water is one of the most basic needs for human beings, although access to clean water is a basic human right. I personally believe that it should not be provided fully at a free cost.

Water is abundant in nature, for a basic living organism to survive water is the most essential resource needed. However, human beings tend to exploit natural resources for their own selfish well being depliting them, this leads to scarcity of resources.Future generation are the ones affected by it. For instance, a specific household is allowed to use only certain litres of water from the community tank, exceeding it will deplit water supply for other households. Hence, providing water supply with cost will help in the mindful usage of water resources.

A viable solution to this problem is, a certain amount of water needed for day-to-day usage should be provided at a free of cost by the government, exceeding the limit, people should pay for it to ensure that all citizens have access to a sufficient amount of clean water, regardless of their income. Because providing water at a free cost will reduce poverty and improve public health. Many low-income families struggle with basic necessities.

In conclusion, I do not completely agree that every home should recieve a basuc suplly of clean water free of charge. Although water conservation is equally important because it directly affects the future generations, financial difficulties should never prevent anyone from accessing the most basic human need.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you oppose making all household water free, while supporting a free basic allowance. You give relevant reasons about conservation and affordability, and the community-tank example helps illustrate how excessive use can affect others. However, the response does not fully develop the balance between charging for water and guaranteeing access; the proposed allowance is not specified or explained in enough detail, and the public-health point is asserted rather than supported. The conclusion also says you do not agree that homes should receive a basic supply free, which conflicts with your earlier proposal. The response is 237 words, 13 short of the 250-word minimum; the nine words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop the proposal and keep your position consistent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Its main progression—from resource scarcity, to a possible pricing policy, to a final position—is generally understandable, and linking expressions such as “However,” “For instance” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, though. The opening uses “although” where the relationship between the two ideas is not clear, and “A viable solution to this problem is” is followed by a long, awkwardly connected sentence. The conclusion also weakens the progression by contradicting the free basic allowance proposed in the previous paragraph. Clarify how each paragraph supports one consistent position and use punctuation to separate the policy proposal from its explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “natural resources,” “scarcity,” “conservation,” “low-income families” and “public health,” which allows you to discuss the issue beyond very basic terms. There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems that reduce precision: “deplit” appears twice, “basuc” and “suplly” are misspelled, and “at a free cost” is an unnatural expression. Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “basic living organism” and “mindful usage.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding your main argument, but they limit the accuracy and naturalness of the vocabulary. Proofread spelling and choose standard collocations, especially when describing free provision and responsible water use.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional example (“exceeding it will…”) and a sentence explaining the effect of resource use. The main ideas are usually understandable, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation recur. For example, “Water is abundant in nature, for a basic living organism to survive water is…” joins two clauses incorrectly, while “A viable solution to this problem is, a certain amount…” has an unnecessary comma and an incomplete-feeling structure. The sentence beginning “Because providing water…” is also a fragment, and the final paragraph contains a sentence boundary problem after “generations.” Work on forming complete clauses, using commas and full stops accurately, and varying complex structures while maintaining control.

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

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