Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-04

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)

In today’s world, water consumption has significantly risen due to misuse of water. Accessing clean water is a basic need to survive in daily life for humans. Therefore, the government should provide it free of charge. I strongly disagree with the given statement.

From one perspective, humans need clean water to stay alive in day-to-day life. Water is used in every situation in everyday life like from drinking to use for daily routine. If clean water IS not provided by authorities, it can affect individuals’ health. For this reason, the government should provide free of charge crystal clear water to society. It directly affects the economic growth of a nation. For instance, those people who come from a poor background are not financially stable. They cannot pay charges for accessing clear water to the administration.

Oppositely, government taking charges from people is beneficial for the nation’s growth. In the present time people use clear water more than is required. Therefore, poor individuals do not receive the required amount of water, and they all cannot survive without clear or drinking water. That’s the reason government should take some basic charges from society. And also do some activity to save water. It also helps the nation’s growth. For example, if authorities took low charges for accessing clean water, poor people also can afford the clean water and those who are financially stable they used only required amount of water.

In my opinion, it is beneficial to take some fee for accessing clean water for society and country. It helps to maintain health of individuals those who came from a lower category. Moreover, government should develop a system for recycling the wastage water.

In conclusion, water is playing a crucial role in people’s lives. If it is provided free of charge, people will use more than required. It affects directly to individual’s lives. So, the administration should take action or introduce new policy against the problem. They should take low charges and also, develop recycling methods to save water.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout, arguing against free water supply. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While you provide reasons for your stance, such as the prevention of water wastage, some arguments are repetitive or lack depth. For instance, the link between charging for water and 'economic growth' is mentioned but not clearly explained. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with specific examples or logical consequences. The conclusion effectively summarizes your position, but the body paragraphs could benefit from more nuanced reasoning regarding the balance between human rights and resource management.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'From one perspective,' 'Oppositely,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as starting a paragraph with 'Oppositely.' Additionally, the flow between sentences within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed. For example, the transition between the need for water and the economic argument in the second paragraph is abrupt. Improving the variety and naturalness of your linking words will enhance the overall flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'consumption,' 'authorities,' and 'financially stable.' However, there is a reliance on basic or repetitive phrasing, such as 'everyday life' and 'clean water,' which appears multiple times. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'crystal clear water' (which is more descriptive than academic) and 'lower category' (which is vague). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating the same phrases. Expanding your vocabulary to include more sophisticated synonyms will help you move into a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'government taking charges' (should be 'the government charging'), 'those people who come from a poor background are not financially stable' (slightly wordy), and 'they used only required amount' (missing articles). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While these errors do not prevent communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on article usage and consistent verb tense will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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