Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 21st Century, the governments should provide free of cost water supply to each household because it is one of the primary fundamental rights. I firmly belive that this is not a beneficial development, and this essay will support with the relevant example in the upcoming paragraphs.

Several factors are combine to ensure that providing free water supply is not an ideal practice that the governments should follows. The primary reason for this claim is that it is the major cause of water wastage. This is to say that the citizens will be using water without any restrictions. This means the greater number of people will not use water efficiently. To illustrate this, if there is a certain amount of charge on water usage then people will use water very efficiently to reduce their water bill. As a result, many individuals will control water wastage in activities like bathing and gardening, which will solve another issue by addressing sufficient water to other locations where there is a scarcity pure water.

Furthermore, excessive usage of water on the construction sites will give rise to the scarcity of water in the city centre. This can be understood from a construction of a building, which requires a great amount of water to make it strong. This means that there will be unfair usage of water and many individuals will not get required amount of water beacuse water is limited. Thus it is very necessary to have certain restrictions on the usage of water. This issues could only be resolved by implementing a specific fees on water usage.

In conclusion, the efficient use of water among citizens will have more benefits than the providing water as complementary. In my opinion, I firmly disagree that governments should give access of free water to their people.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you disagree with free household water, arguing that charges encourage conservation and help prevent shortages. Both main paragraphs give relevant reasons, and the examples of bathing, gardening, and construction help connect the argument to practical water use. However, the response does not fully address the human-rights premise in the question. It would be stronger to explain how a basic guaranteed supply could be protected while charging for excessive use, or why free provision is not the best way to secure access. The construction-site point is also less fully developed: explain how household pricing would address commercial demand and ensure fair distribution. These gaps leave some ideas relevant but under-explained.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting reasons, and a conclusion that restates your view. Linking phrases such as “Furthermore,” “To illustrate this,” and “As a result” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, particularly the repeated “This is to say,” “This means,” and “Thus.” Some connections are also unclear: the move from construction-site water use to charging households does not explain how the proposed fee would solve that problem. Make each paragraph develop one central claim in a clear sequence, and use pronouns or linking expressions only when their references are unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “water wastage,” “water scarcity,” “restrictions,” and “efficiently,” which allows you to discuss the issue clearly. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “give rise to the scarcity.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “primary fundamental rights,” “complementary” for water provided without charge, and “access of free water.” Spelling errors such as “belive” and “beacuse” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations—for example, “a basic human right,” “free of charge,” and “access to water”—and check spelling and word forms during proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if there is a certain amount of charge … then people will use water” and relative clauses such as “which requires a great amount of water.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “Several factors are combine” needs a correct verb form, while “the governments should follows” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. There are also article and sentence-pattern problems in “from a construction of a building” and “water … beacuse water is limited.” Review verb forms after modal verbs, agreement, and article use, then proofread longer sentences to ensure their clauses are complete and clearly connected.

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

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