Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-04
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)
There is a contentious argument on the supply of water where some believe that it should be provided free of cost while others reject this notion. I believe that water everyone should be able to access clean water but complete free system would negatively impact the government funds.
I agree that clean water is a basic human right and everyone in the society irrespective of their financial background should be able to access clean drinking water. Every individual have rights to live a life with dignity where basic necessities like food, water and shelter is required for life. Nevertheless, belonging to lower income household should not be the pivotal reason to not pursuade clean water. It will be to dire as many diseases starts from drinking impure water and it effects people of all age groups.
The main reasons to disagree on supplying free water is that it is neither practical or sustainable. If the government's expenditure shifts towards free water supply then funds will decline substantially from education and healthcare. The government requires expenditure for the storage, purifying and suppling of water, hence free water should be supplied in a limit while overconsumption should be moderately charged.
In conclusion, I state that free water should availabe for everybe supplied by the government for every household for essential needs, while excessive usage with should be charged with minimal pay.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by presenting a clear position, but it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you acknowledge both sides of the argument, the supporting points regarding the economic impact on government funds and the necessity of water as a human right are somewhat underdeveloped due to the brevity of the essay. To improve, you should expand on your arguments with more detailed examples or hypothetical scenarios to ensure the response is fully developed and meets the length requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a clear progression of ideas, moving from the human rights perspective to the economic feasibility argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is interrupted by grammatical errors or awkward phrasing, such as in the final paragraph where the sentence structure becomes repetitive and slightly confusing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'contentious argument,' 'irrespective,' and 'sustainable.' However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'complete free system,' 'not pursuade clean water,' and 'minimal pay.' These errors do not generally impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring that your word choices are contextually appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Every individual have rights,' 'many diseases starts') and awkward phrasing ('it is neither practical or sustainable'). Punctuation and word order are also inconsistent, particularly in the conclusion. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a stronger grasp of basic grammatical rules to ensure accuracy in more complex sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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