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)
No , no home should have free water supply. Even though I agree that water is a basic human right but it doesn’t mean that it should be free of cost. Water is vital for all the living beings and making it free can cause water sacricity. In addition , fresh water is limited and filtering water also costs money. Filtering requires man force and that uses money.
Firstly , people will forget the importance of fresh water if it is available for free at homes. We know that water is vital for every living being and only three percent of the total water available on Earth is fresh water. We need fresh water for drinking , watering crops and much more. Almost every human activity includes use of it and making it free will put fresh water bodies under threat. It will be better to put drinking taps in some parts of city rather than making it free of cost for everyone.
Secondly, not every area in the world has access to fresh water and water in these areas needs to be filtered before being used. Filteration is an expensive process as water has to go through many phases. If this water is put for free then it will put presssure on the public funds and the government. Which in end will increase the tax imposed on the people.
All in all, water supply should not be free of cost but there can be water taps or plants at several parts of city for drinking.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have addressed the prompt clearly by taking a firm stance against the provision of free water in every home. You provide relevant reasons, such as the risk of water scarcity and the economic burden on public funds. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'man force' and 'filtering' could be more sophisticatedly explained. While you mention that water is a human right, you could have explored the counter-argument more deeply to strengthen your position. Overall, the response is relevant and maintains a consistent position throughout, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'All in all' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'Which in end will increase the tax'. The use of cohesive devices is adequate but lacks the flexibility and variety required for a higher band. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate your main arguments.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'vital', 'scarcity', and 'public funds'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling, such as 'sacricity' (scarcity) and 'Filteration' (filtration). You also rely on some repetitive phrasing. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it does not show the level of precision or the use of less common lexical items expected at a higher band level. Improving your spelling and using more varied collocations would enhance your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, though the complexity is somewhat limited. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'all the living beings', 'use of it', and 'in some parts of city' (missing articles). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on article usage (a/the) and ensuring subject-verb agreement, as well as refining your control over complex sentence structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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