Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-15
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)
Well, I agree that access to clean water is a basic human right and should be provided free of cost to every home by the govt for a number of reasons.
1. It's costly for every home to drill its own well to arrange its water supply.
2. In case it's affordable, it can be a waste of both financial and natural resources. Instead, every home having its own arrangement for water supply will lead to natural resource depletion, and also the govt. will lose control over the water supply. Besides this, many lower-class citizens will be dependent on houses having their own arrangement, increasing the possibility that poor household people will be exploited.
3. A centralized water supply arrangement reduces the cost and waste of water and also gives the weaker segment of the society freedom and facilities at their doorstep.
For the above reasons, it should be provided by the government and should equally reach every citizen free of cost.
Above are the reasons I provided and mainly insisted it should be provided by the govt., because I have seen people in my hometown and how difficult it was when they had no direct access to water and they were relying on neighbors for their water needs. They used to waste all their productive hours just finishing their water needs. Normally kids were responsible for fulfilling the water needs. This hurt them, the weaker, needy segment, in two ways: instead of going to school, they were collecting water. Second, the richer segment who were providing the water were exploiting them in their house chores, which mad them their servant.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of free government-provided water. However, the structure is problematic. The use of a numbered list (1, 2, 3) is inappropriate for an IELTS essay, which requires formal paragraphing. While the ideas are relevant, they are presented as a list rather than developed through cohesive academic prose. The final paragraph provides a personal anecdote, which is a good way to support the argument, but the overall development lacks the depth and formal academic tone required for a higher band. To improve, you should integrate your points into well-structured paragraphs with clear topic sentences and supporting evidence.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay lacks a standard academic structure. The use of a numbered list significantly disrupts the flow and coherence of the argument. While there is a logical progression of ideas, the reliance on bullet-point style formatting prevents the use of sophisticated cohesive devices. Transitions between ideas are mechanical or missing entirely. To achieve a higher score, you must replace the list format with clear, linked paragraphs that use transition words like 'furthermore', 'consequently', and 'in addition' to guide the reader through your argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the range and precision expected at higher levels. You rely on repetitive phrasing such as 'water supply' and 'arrangements'. There are some informal choices, such as 'govt' (which should be written as 'government') and 'mad them their servant'. While the meaning is clear, the lack of varied, academic vocabulary limits the score. Incorporating more precise terminology related to public policy, socio-economic impacts, and infrastructure would demonstrate a stronger command of the language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'mad them their servant' should be 'made them their servants', and 'the weaker, needy segment' is slightly awkward. There are also issues with article usage and sentence fragments. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring full, grammatically correct sentences will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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