Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-01

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)

In the current societal landscape, access to clean water is a phenomenon that is widely addressed among diverse population. It is contended that every houshold should be given the facility of ample supply of clean water, free of charge. While, water is a fundamental human right , a check and balance is usually required to save the water reserves.

On the one hand, while, water is the basic necissity of life, without it, the survival is impossible, I believe that providing free access to surplus amount of water is more likely to result in droughts in the future. Moreover, water should be available to every household regardless of socio-economic status.For instance, many areas of Pakistan such as Karachi, faces the problem of water shortage, but these issues are mostly confined to the underpriviliged families. However, the affluent manages to get water to fulfill their needs. As a result, the poor deprives of the blessings of clean water. Therefore, governments should take initiatives to provide access to water for every household within the limitations, and this rule should be strictly adhered for both the wealthy and the destitute.

On the other hand, if clean water is not available, people are more likely to suffer from chlorea, dysantery and other diseases. In this way, there would be possibility of droughts in the near future, and eventually, the population of that region would fall drastically. However, providing free water to everyone would not be possible on a large-scale. As it requires development of infrasctructure, pipe-lines, and filling of tanks fortnightly. Consequently, the governments are more likely to impose greater taxes on the nations to fulfill their requirements. For example, when floods affected to lower side of Pakistan, many firms rasied capital to provide basic food and water supplies to the affected families. As a result, the government raised taxes in order to overcome the disasterous circumstances faced by flood affected people.

In conclusion, where water is of utmost importance for survival, i believe that it should be provided free of cost to fulfill daily needs, but with a limit imposed for everyone, and above this, it should be charged accordingly. So that people might know the importance of water, and avoids wasting it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear overall position regarding whether free water should be provided to every household. However, the development of ideas is uneven. For instance, the discussion on water scarcity in Pakistan touches upon the plight of underprivileged families, but the argument becomes slightly contradictory when the conclusion states that water should be provided free with a limit imposed. Some ideas, such as the potential impact of free water distribution on future droughts, lack clear logical backing and remain underdeveloped. To reach a higher level, every main idea needs to be fully extended and supported with consistent reasoning throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the argument using paragraphs and cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. For example, the transitional phrases are occasionally misused or awkwardly placed, such as starting consecutive paragraphs with 'On the one hand' instead of opposing two distinct views. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, making the progression of thought bumpy. To improve, you should ensure that cohesive devices connect ideas smoothly and that referencing pronouns clearly point back to their intended subjects.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to incorporate less common lexical items such as 'socio-economic status', 'underprivileged', and 'infrastructure'. However, there are notable spelling errors and word choice inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'houshold', 'necissity', 'chlorea', 'dysantery', 'infrasctructure', and 'disasterous'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they highlight a lack of precision. To progress to a higher band, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary with greater accuracy in spelling, word formation, and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting various clauses to express arguments. There are, however, some recurring errors in grammar, articles, and punctuation. Examples include 'the affluent manages to get water' (subject-verb agreement), 'the poor deprives of the blessings' (passive/active voice confusion), and erratic comma usage, such as separating verbs incorrectly. Although these mistakes rarely impede communication, they persist throughout the text. Achieving a higher band requires a greater frequency of error-free complex sentences and more consistent control over grammar and punctuation rules.

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

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