Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29
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)
The availability of clean water is a basic human right and should be provided to every home without any charges. Although every individual should have access to clean water, providing it free of cost could be a major milestone for government in developing countries. In my opinion a little amount should be charged by the authoroties.
There are many regions in the world where clean water is not available for drinking purpose. In such areas, supplying clean water is a cost effective project. For instance, if government has to build a system to clean water and providing it to every household, it will cost them a huge amount to meet this target. Therefore, providing it for free could impact the financial state of a developing country.
Moreover, people sometime take the free things for granted. It has been often observed that in many states, where fresh water is easily accessible, people waste it a lot. For example in some areas of Pakistan where clean water is not a problem, they use the same water for cleaning, washing, and in taking baths more often in comparison to the people who lives in Karachi. The residents of Karachi has to buy tankers to meet their needs hence use a considerable amount of water.
Nevertheless, the availability of water is mandatory for every individual equally, but there should be a fare system for its supply. In conclusion, government should charge a considerable amount to the residents and use that money to provide equal resources to every human being.
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
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both sides of the issue regarding free access to clean water and presenting a clear position that a small amount should be charged. The ideas are generally relevant, but some points are under-developed. For instance, the discussion on financial impacts in developing countries and human behavior regarding water wastage could be extended further with more robust examples. The introduction states the position, though slightly awkwardly phrased. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 6 by addressing all parts of the task with relevant ideas, even though some parts lack full development.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, such as the economic feasibility of free water in the second paragraph and human consumption habits in the third. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transition phrases like 'Nevertheless' and 'In conclusion' are used, but referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'they use the same water' where the antecedent is slightly ambiguous. These minor issues align with a Band 6 score for cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'availability', 'cost effective', 'financial state', and 'mandatory'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'authoroties' instead of authorities, 'drinking purpose' instead of drinking purposes, and 'fare system' instead of fair system. The student attempts less common vocabulary with some inaccuracy. These errors do not seriously impede communication, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and subordinate clauses such as 'Although every individual should have access to clean water, providing it free of cost could be a major milestone...' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'a little amount should be charged by the authoroties', 'providing it to every household', and 'people lives in Karachi' instead of people live. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors occur, they rarely impede overall communication. This performance aligns well with the descriptors for a Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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