Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-01
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)
As we move into the 21st century, every people have the notion that they need clean water for daily usage, therefore every society should have water supply that is provided cost free. I strongly disagree with this viewpoint, because government have face financial burden for free of charge water. The explanations will be discussed in the following paragraph with valid reasons and examples.
To begin with, to provide free water supply to the society government face many problems such as financial burden and need huge range of water supply. To elaborate, they invest much money on the supply and cleaning of water process. For example, In Canada authority take charge of wastewater from the people.
Furthermore, they invest more money on technology for the cleaning process of water. Government need high technic machineries and high-speed power supply for this process. In addition, more workers and employees needed for operate clean water supply. Therefore, it also increases the tax and responsibilities of government. For instance, people of some cities in India they do not pay tax and other bills on time so this effects on the state financial.
On the other hand, all human-being need water not only need for their daily life but also need for survival. Therefore, government should provide free water supply in some remote areas and low-income families. For example, poor families in India they do not have enough water for live on the earth.
In conclusion, providing water in free of charge can impact on financial burden of government. Therefore, I strongly disagree with this statement. Although they provide sufficient water for rural areas.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against free water for all, while acknowledging exceptions for the poor. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding the financial burden on governments is repetitive, and the examples provided, such as the mention of Canada and India, are not fully integrated or explained to support the main argument effectively. The conclusion introduces a slight contradiction by mentioning rural areas, which weakens the consistency of the stated position. To improve, you should focus on expanding your main points with more logical depth rather than listing general problems.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', 'In addition', 'Therefore'). Some transitions feel forced, and the logical flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by grammatical errors. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the link between the Canadian example and the argument about financial burden is not explicitly stated. Improving the variety and naturalness of your linking words would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'problems', 'money', and 'things'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'high technic machineries' instead of 'advanced machinery' and 'water supply that is provided cost free' instead of 'provided free of charge'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and occasional awkward phrasing limits the score in this criterion. Expanding your range to include more academic collocations would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There is a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but the essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('government have face', 'every people have'), article usage ('the cleaning process of water'), and pluralisation ('all human-being'). While the meaning is usually understandable, these persistent errors demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as these are foundational to achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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