Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-07
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)
Pure water is necessary for every human being, and it is a fundamental right of everyone to have clean water for their usage. Consequently, it is often argued whether all houses have a free water supply of clean water. In my opinion, free access to water would bring problems for future generation and financial strain on the government.
Firstly, a free water supply would make water unavailable for upcoming generation. People do not value things which are free of cost, and therefore if individuals are provided with the free source of pure water, they would end up wasting water in unnecessary tasks. For example, if a free water supply is provided to someone, he would not think about storing it, and he would increase his water usage. As a result, there will not be sufficient amount of water for upcomming generation.
Secondly, providing free water supply to every house in a country would bring extra burgen on the government. The installation and maintenance of water supply would come up with the need of huge amount of money, so the government have to allocate some part of its budget, which is a financial strain for the government. For example, spending on installation parts and motors for a free water supply, the government have to compromise the other parts of development such as defence. As a result, the free supply of pure water would b
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 taking a clear position against free water supply. However, the essay is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence. Because the response is under the 250-word minimum (233 words), it fails to fully develop the arguments, particularly the conclusion. The ideas presented—resource depletion and financial burden—are relevant, but the lack of a conclusion and the truncated final paragraph significantly limit the development of the response. To reach a higher band, you must ensure the essay is fully completed and that all arguments are extended with sufficient depth.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay uses basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' to structure the arguments. Paragraphing is present, but the abrupt ending disrupts the overall flow and logical progression of the piece. While the relationship between ideas is generally clear, the lack of a concluding paragraph means the essay lacks a final synthesis of the argument. To improve, focus on ensuring that each paragraph is fully developed and that the essay has a clear, logical conclusion that reinforces your initial position.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, though it lacks sophistication. You use some relevant terms like 'fundamental right', 'financial strain', and 'maintenance', but there are instances of awkward phrasing and minor errors, such as 'come up with the need of' instead of 'require' or 'necessitate'. There is also a spelling error ('burgen' instead of 'burden'). To achieve a higher band, aim for more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to express your ideas more fluently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'it is often argued whether all houses have' (should be 'whether all houses should have') and 'the government have to' (subject-verb agreement error: 'government' is singular). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and spelling issues. The range of structures is somewhat limited, and the errors, while not impeding communication, are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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