Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-12

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 generally known that humans can't live without water. They might not survive without water for more than three days. Although clean water is a basic human necessity and essential for survival, and every household should have access, providing it free of cost can be consequential. In this essay, I will be discussing why the government should not provide water to every household free of cost.

It is human nature that anything that comes free is taken for granted. Let it be material things or something of personal value, such as health. If provided for free, we forget its value. Clean, fresh, and drinkable water is a limited resource. We already don't have enough water. If it is provided for free, I am afraid people might start wasting it. Having some sort of meter to measure the amount of water used and then charging people according to their use may alter people's attitude towards wasting water. Moreover, the government can introduce some additional charges or taxes for crossing the water expenditure after certain limit. Having such an approach will not only reduce the water

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you oppose providing every household with water free of charge, and the point that free access could encourage waste is relevant to the question. You also suggest metering and higher charges beyond a set limit, which gives your argument a practical direction. However, the response addresses the issue only partially: it does not explain how charging for water can be reconciled with the stated right to clean water, or consider whether basic household needs should be protected. The claim that people take free things for granted is asserted rather than supported with a specific example. The response also falls 65 words short of the required minimum, leaving the argument and its conclusion incomplete. Develop both the policy and its consequences with a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable progression from the importance of water to the argument against free provision, and linking phrases such as “Although,” “Moreover,” and “If” help connect ideas. The central point about waste is easy to follow. However, the organisation is limited: the opening announces what the essay will discuss, but there is no completed conclusion or developed second line of reasoning. The final sentence stops at “reduce the water,” so the reader cannot see how the argument was meant to finish. Some connections are also repetitive, particularly the repeated references to water being free and people wasting it. Use separate paragraphs for distinct arguments and complete each point before moving on.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “basic human necessity,” “limited resource,” “meter,” and “additional charges or taxes.” These choices make the main argument understandable, and you attempt some less common phrasing. However, a few expressions are imprecise or unnatural: “can be consequential” does not clearly convey your intended concern, and “water expenditure” is not the usual term for household consumption. “Free of cost” is understandable but repeated, while “clean,” “fresh,” and “drinkable” overlap in this context. Aim for more precise collocations and avoid repeating the same wording; for example, use “water consumption” and “wasteful use.” This would make the argument sound more natural and exact without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession clause (“Although clean water is a basic human necessity…”) and conditional structures (“If it is provided for free…”). Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and punctuation generally supports the argument. Some grammatical choices need attention. The opening uses the informal contraction “can't” in an academic essay; write “cannot.” The sentence beginning “Although” is awkwardly constructed because the clause is followed by “and every household should have access” before the main contrast. Also, “after certain limit” needs an article (“after a certain limit”), and “Let it be material things” is not a well-formed sentence in this context. Revise these patterns while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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