Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-06

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 the basic need for every living being on the Earth. Access to clean water is the basic human right because if the water is not clean it can invite various diseases. Some people think that every home should have a water supply that is provided free of charge. Although it can be beneficial at some point but it has more negative points. In my view, I disagree with the topic, as I feel there should be minimum amount of charge for water supply.

This paragraph will anticipate the idea of disagreement with the proper facts and argument. Firstly, if water supply is provided for free of charge then people will use more carelessly and water wastage increases which will lead to the several environmental problems. For instance, in India there is no huge amount of charge or can be consider as free for water supply and because of this there is a major problem related to the excessive use of water wastage for multiple purpose, people are using it so carelessly that sometimes it can even lead to the water shortage at some areas. From this it can be seen that water supply should not provided free mostly.

Furthermore, if minimum amount of charge is there not large amount then people use water more cautious and there will be less water wastage which will also be beneficial for environment and at the time of water shortage. Many countries are charging high for the clean water to save it for example, Switzerland, Dubai etc.

Conversely, if water is given through extra charges them poor people which cannot afford basic things are not able to get clean water facility and not able to maintain hygiene and get disease easily. However, government are providing clean water for free in slum areas at particular period of time so that everyone get benefits of clean water.

In conclusion, water is a basic necessity but it should not be use as a leverage and carelessly which lead to water shortage. Therefore, there should be minimum charge for a water supply so that people can able to understand the importance of water.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have clearly stated your position and addressed the prompt by discussing both the potential for wastage and the issue of affordability. Your ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of India and Switzerland. However, the development of your arguments is somewhat limited. For instance, the counter-argument regarding poor populations is introduced but not fully explored in terms of how a 'minimum charge' could be implemented fairly (e.g., tiered pricing). To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting points are more thoroughly explained and that the link between your examples and your main argument is more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'Conversely' to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences is slightly disjointed. For example, the transition between the discussion of water wastage and the counter-argument about poor people could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'From this it can be seen', which lacks a strong connection to the preceding sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use topic-specific terms like 'water shortage', 'hygiene', and 'environmental problems'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'invite various diseases' (instead of 'cause' or 'lead to'), 'use more carelessly' (instead of 'use water more carelessly'), and 'at particular period of time'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision and sophistication of your writing. Expanding your range of collocations would help improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'at some areas'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'should not provided' instead of 'should not be provided'), and subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'government are providing'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and missing commas that affect the readability of your arguments. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent verb tense usage.

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