Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-24

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)

Public believe drinking water must be accessible for every individual. So, free water should be provided for every household.

I support this view as everybody has a right over it and this ensures fairness among different communities.

Supply of clean drinking water without any charges can have various merits. Firstly, it building equality among people of different social groups, genders, religions, ages, income and nationalities. It builds a sense of togetherness and demolish the wealthiness factor. Next, it contributes a safer and healthier environment. For instance, a person suffering from water scarcity gets to drink fresh water which keeps their immune system strong. This can play a vital role in protecting the below poverty from risking their lives. Lastly, this water can be much more cleaner than regular water available in the local markets or stores; helping citizens improve their hygiene. Hence, This is a very beneficial step which can be taken by the government for the development of a state or a country.

However, their are comparatively less drawbacks for this kind of schemes. Few people might take lenience and over use the water leading to wastage. This situation can put the investor or the government into losses which make the plans unworthy. Other disadvantage is that people who could afford will also use water tremendously. For example, they will use the water for unnecessary reasons just because they will not be paying for it. This can be a huge disadvantage but can be overcome by taking few cautious measures.

Therefore, according to me providing clean drinking water for no cost to the citizens can help building a better society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of free water. The ideas are relevant, such as promoting equality and health, and the counter-argument regarding wastage is acknowledged. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the point about 'protecting the below poverty' is vague and lacks specific, well-explained evidence. The argument could be strengthened by discussing the economic feasibility or the role of government infrastructure more deeply. While the response covers all parts of the task, the depth of analysis is limited, which prevents it from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Next', 'However', and 'Therefore', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Next, it contributes a safer and healthier environment'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the overall progression of ideas feels a bit repetitive in the conclusion, which simply restates the introduction without adding new insight.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'scarcity', 'merits', and 'tremendously'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'demolish the wealthiness factor', 'protecting the below poverty', and 'take lenience'. These errors occasionally distract the reader, though they do not impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding non-standard phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Public believe', 'it building', 'their are comparatively less drawbacks') and article usage errors ('the below poverty'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors indicate a lack of control over more complex structures. Punctuation is mostly functional, but there are minor slips throughout. To reach a higher band, the student needs to focus on basic grammatical accuracy and ensure that complex sentences are constructed correctly without errors.

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

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