Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-23

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)

Goverment should provide supply of water free of cost in every household, as access to clean water is a basic human right. I have a mixed opinion on this view. It is true that clean water is bacis human right but if it is available without any cost then people will disregard its true value.

Nowadays most of the natural sources of water available in urban areas are likely polluted so finding clean water is very difficult in those areas due to which many familles suffer from water-born diseases. If goverment provide a supply of clean water to every household then the diseases spread through contaminated water can be controlled and everybody can feel safe as it is provided by goverment. For instance, a city goverment provide a sufficent supply of water to everybody, then the people are happybecause they get free clean water and goverment get to control the quality of water and trust of citizen too.

In contrast, when somethings is available without any cost then people tends to look down on it. Likewise if people get water without any cost then they will overuse it leaving to massive shortage of water and we humans do not have a infinite supply of water. Goverment will also have to face lose if people use too much water. For example, a city is providng water supply from underground sources but if people misuse it then before rain replunish the sources they will runout of water. This has happened in india where farmer use too much water for irragation and now they even lack drinking water.

In conclusion, yes water should be available for free to everyone but there should be a monthly limit to which water is free above that people need to pay. Therefore, I believe clean water should be available without any cost but with rules and regulations.

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 student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on whether free water supply should be provided to every home. The introduction states a mixed opinion, and the body paragraphs discuss both the advantages, such as disease control, and the disadvantages, such as overuse and water scarcity. Ideas are extended with examples, such as the mention of agricultural usage in India, although some supporting points are slightly under-developed or general. The final conclusion resolves the discussion by proposing a monthly limit for free water. Overall, the response meets the requirements for Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant ideas, even though some arguments could be explored in greater depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a concluding paragraph. Cohesive devices are used to signal logical relationships, such as 'Nowadays', 'In contrast', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in the phrasing 'when somethings is available' and 'leaving to massive shortage'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a higher band. Overall, the structural progression is clear enough to merit a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'contaminated water', 'water-born diseases', and 'replunish'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'Goverment' instead of government, 'bacis' instead of basic, 'familles', 'sufficent', 'somethings', 'tends', and 'providng'. Furthermore, awkward collocations like 'face lose' instead of 'face losses' appear. Despite these errors, communication is not impeded, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, fitting the Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptor range closely. A score of 6.0 is appropriate given the attempt at topical vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and relative clauses ('if it is available without any cost then people will disregard...'). However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors, including missing articles ('Government should provide supply', 'in india'), subject-verb agreement issues ('people tends', 'farmer use'), and incorrect prepositions or verb forms ('goverment get', 'replunish'). Punctuation is also occasionally weak, with run-on clauses connected without proper punctuation. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur regularly enough to prevent the essay from reaching Band 6.5. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is awarded for adequate control of basic structures alongside persistent errors in complex forms.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.