Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-10

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 contemporary society, clean water is basic need for people without water they cannot survive. Consequently, some people contend that water should be provided free of cost to the public. I agree with this point because water is imperative for a life and water is main source for house chores. Therefore the reasons and relevant examples will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, clean water is necessary and some people believe that provide free of cost on the ground that there are multiple reasons behind this. First and foremost, destitute people cannot afford and it can cause health problems like kidney stone, heart attack and many chronic diseases without the water. For instance, a individuals who are underprivileged and they have not budget for even foods, hence how they can manage water bills.

Moreover, there are also other reasons for providing free of cost water to the public. Firstly, human body's an average weight made of 60% water, so people need water and because of cost many people avoid drink water. For example, a middle class family, they are manage budget and some people think avoid drink water and save money, but it causes harmful health problems.

To sum up, although the government can impose tax or takes charges for providing clean water, government could not do it, because of vulnerable and underprivilege people. I believe that, water should be provided free of cost on the ground that it has a substantial role in human life and it is basic amenity for living a life.

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 by taking a clear position in favor of free water. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you mention health and affordability, the arguments are repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the point about the human body being 60% water is a scientific fact but is not effectively linked to the economic argument of government provision. To improve, you should provide more nuanced reasoning, such as discussing the potential economic impact on the government or the difference between essential usage and luxury consumption. The ideas are relevant but remain at a surface level, which prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To begin with,' 'Moreover,' and 'To sum up' to signal transitions. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the connection between 'destitute people' and the specific health examples is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'basic need,' 'main source,' and 'harmful health problems.' There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'avoid drink water' instead of 'avoid drinking water' and 'underprivilege people' instead of 'underprivileged people.' To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to social policy and economics, and pay closer attention to word forms and collocations to ensure your writing sounds more natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include missing articles ('a individuals,' 'the water'), subject-verb agreement errors ('they are manage budget'), and awkward phrasing ('government could not do it'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of these errors limits the score. To reach a higher band, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically article usage, verb tenses, and ensuring that complex sentences are punctuated correctly and grammatically sound.

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

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