Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-28

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 a basic right for every living organism. It is the most important element of the human body, about 70% of our body is made up of it. It should be provided easily to all human beings. But I partially agree with the statement that water is provided to every house free of cost.

Usually, people do not value those things which are free as compared to paid ones. And water is the most precious liquid on our Earth. It should be used wisely. If it is available to everyone without any charges its value declines. If water is supplied free of cost to each and everyone, people do not care much about it. They do not pay attention to its conservation and waste a lot of water. Because they do not have to pay anything for it. And another reason that I want to write is it would be an economic burden for developing countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh etc. Government needs plenty of investment for this purpose.

On the basis of the conversation I do not say that water should not be provided to the public. But it requires some rules and regulations. Administration should provide some water free of cost and charge for usage above certain levels. It should be free for poor citizens and must take money from rich people.

In conclusion I summarized that water is life. Without water life is not possible. It should be easily available for everyone but along with some principles that are made for its storage and to avoid its wastage. And our local people should pay attention to follow these measures to conserve water.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear, albeit nuanced, position. You have provided relevant arguments regarding the potential for water wastage and the economic burden on developing nations. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention that governments need investment, you could have expanded on how a tiered pricing system (which you suggest in the third paragraph) would specifically solve the issue of affordability versus conservation. The response is balanced, but the arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, restating points rather than synthesising them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a central focus. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Usually', 'If', and 'In conclusion', to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions are abrupt. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to better link the problem of wastage to your proposed solution of tiered pricing. Referencing is generally clear, but the use of cohesive devices could be more varied and sophisticated to improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'conservation', 'economic burden', and 'regulations' appropriately. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'on the basis of the conversation' (which should be 'on the basis of these points') and 'take money from rich people' (which is informal). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and academic vocabulary related to public policy and resource management.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Government needs' should be 'Governments need') and awkward phrasing ('another reason that I want to write is it would be'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some sentence fragments and run-on sentences that affect the flow. To reach a higher band, focus on increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences and refining your control over articles and prepositions.

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

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