Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-16

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 requirement of all human individual, so it should be provided free of charge to every home. I totally agree with this proposal.

I agree that other services should be paid for humans but the basic requirement like clean water, fresh air should be provided to all the human free of charge, as it is a basic requirement for every humans, but if the water is provided in unlimited access then people will start overusing it and they may be less careful about how much they should use. For example some household might leave taps running, use excessive water for cleaning vehicle and washing clothes. In order to solve this problem government should provide water each day for a reasonable time decided by the water community. Government and local authorities need to build and maintain pipelines, treatment plants, reservoirs and sewage system to provide clean and fresh water.

In some areas of our country people have to walk for several kilometers in order to get fresh water for drinking. Government is also working on the project to provide fresh water to every home and also has completed around major areas of our country but at some areas due to the greediness of the representative, water is unable to reach every home of that area, which is not the humanity of living beings.

In conclusion, I agree that household water supply should be free of charge but with limited and proper planning for the supply of water each day with a reasonable payment system.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the position is inconsistent. You state you 'totally agree' that water should be free, yet your conclusion suggests a 'reasonable payment system,' which contradicts your initial stance. While you provide relevant ideas regarding water conservation and government responsibility, the development is somewhat superficial. The argument regarding 'greediness of the representative' is vague and lacks a clear connection to the broader economic or social implications of free water. To improve, ensure your position is clearly defined and maintained throughout the essay, and provide more robust, logical support for your arguments rather than shifting your stance in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between the need for free water and the potential for overuse is abrupt. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often repetitive or mechanical (e.g., 'In conclusion', 'For example'). The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the link between government-provided water and the 'water community' is not well-explained. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring a smoother flow between sentences would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'human individual' instead of 'human beings' and 'greediness of the representative' instead of 'corruption' or 'mismanagement.' You rely on basic vocabulary, and while the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated collocations or topic-specific terminology limits your score. To improve, focus on learning more precise academic vocabulary related to government policy and social services.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'every humans'), article usage (e.g., 'the basic requirement'), and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'water is unable to reach every home of that area, which is not the humanity of living beings'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate better control over complex structures and proofread carefully to eliminate basic errors in plurals and articles.

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

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