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 this modern world, water is a basic need for everyone, and access to clean water for free to everyone is a good thing, but I believe totally disagree with it because if everyone has free access to water, then there are some demerits to this.
Firstly, clean water is crucial for health, and everyone should have access to it. Without clean water, people's health will be in danger, increasing the risk of chronic diseases. For instance, when people lack access to clean water, they may resort to drinking from rivers or other unsafe sources, which can lead to illness due to harmful bacteria and microbes. Consequently, their health may deteriorate, leading to the emergence of new diseases.
However, I believe that clean water should not be provided to people for free, because this can lead to excessive consumption and a shortage of water for future generations. When clean water is freely available, people may tend to use it indiscriminately, assuming that there are no limitations on its use. For example, using clean water for washing cars or watering the garden is inappropriate and can lead to significant waste, contributing to a scarcity of fresh water for those who come after us.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that clean water should be accessible to everyone as a right. Nevertheless, not be free of charge, as this could lead to wasteful practices and a lack of water for future generations, so the government should make some policy so that people can use water as per the policy.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by presenting a clear position regarding whether clean water should be free. However, development is uneven. While the introduction outlines your stance and body paragraph two appropriately discusses the risks of health issues, body paragraph three explores the consequence of excessive consumption rather briefly without fully extending the argument with deeper analysis or a broader societal example. To reach a higher band, your ideas would need to be more thoroughly explained and supported with fully articulated implications rather than concise assertions.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct points, such as health concerns versus environmental and resource conservation. However, cohesion at times feels mechanical or repetitive, particularly with transitions like 'Consequently' and 'For instance'. Referencing is not always clear, and the flow between sentences can feel slightly abrupt. To improve, you should employ a wider range of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure smoother progression of ideas between paragraphs.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'indiscriminately', 'deteriorate', and 'scarcity'. However, there are noticeable limitations and occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'I believe totally disagree with it', which contains a redundant construction. Spelling is generally acceptable, and minor vocabulary flaws do not impede communication. To achieve a higher score, you should aim for greater precision in word choice and incorporate more sophisticated phrasing with natural collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating your ability to construct multi-clause sentences such as 'When clean water is freely available, people may tend to use it...' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing words or awkward syntax in clauses like 'nevertheless, not be free of charge' in the conclusion. Fortunately, these errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure your overall meaning. To progress further, you need to produce a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and ensure better grammatical control over dependent clauses.
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.