Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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)

Water is one of the inevitability elements in our nature. It is often argued that access to clean water is a basic human right, and therefore should be provided free of charge to every household. However, I do not agree with that because access to free water can have consequences that extend over the actual need.

Admittedly, providing water for free may bring several discomforts. Firstly, people may not admire the value of water if it is provided freely. For example, during shower people may waste water because they know that they do not have to pay for this. As a result, vast amount of water may waste in daily basis and people may face crisis of water. Secondly, governments may have to take amounts from others sector to provide patent for this, and therefore this can cause extra pressure to others field.

At the same time, I do not think this initiative may bring any welfare to societies.In fact, I would argue that providing free of charge water program can result in significant waste of water. Even if governments provide appropriate oversee on this, it is may not good in the long run. To reserve water for future, governments should apply regulations about proper utilise of water as well as counselling fellow citizens about importance of water.

In conclusion, athough water is a basic human need that every individual must acquire, I believe without proper oversight this program may not face success,resulting in a huge waste of precious water.

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

You take a clear position against free household water and give relevant reasons, especially the risk of waste and the pressure on government resources. The shower example helps illustrate how free provision might affect behaviour, and the conclusion restates your view. However, the response addresses the issue only partially: it does not explain how people who cannot afford water could still have their basic right protected, and the point about government funding is brief and unclear. The discussion also repeats the concern about waste rather than developing a distinct supporting argument. The response is 241 words, so it is 9 words below the required minimum; this limits the opportunity to develop your ideas fully. Add a specific example and explain the reasoning behind each main point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “At the same time” and “In conclusion” help signal stages in the argument. However, progression is not always clear: the second body paragraph begins “At the same time,” although it largely repeats the earlier claim about waste rather than presenting a contrasting point. Some connections are also difficult to follow, particularly the move from free water to taking resources from other sectors. The conclusion is relevant but mostly repeats the introduction. To improve, give each body paragraph one distinct purpose, use linking phrases that accurately show the relationship between ideas, and make references such as “this initiative” clearly identify the proposal being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “basic human need,” “water crisis,” “regulations” and “oversight,” and the reader can generally understand your position. However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice or collocation errors make parts of the argument awkward or unclear. For example, “inevitability elements” does not express the idea of an essential natural resource, while “provide patent for this” obscures what governments would need to fund. Phrases such as “others sector” and “proper utilise” also show difficulty selecting accurate forms and combinations. Aim to learn useful collocations in context and check whether each word fits the meaning you intend. More precise vocabulary would make your reasoning easier to follow and reduce repetition of “water” and “provide.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause in “if it is provided freely” and a purpose phrase in “To reserve water for future.” This gives the response some structural variety, but complex constructions are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make several sentences difficult to read. Examples include “it is may not good,” “a huge waste … resulting in” without clear punctuation, and “people may face crisis of water,” where articles and sentence structure need attention. There are also problems with agreement and plural forms, as in “vast amount of water may waste.” Practise building accurate clauses before adding complexity, and proofread for articles, verb forms, agreement and punctuation. Clearer sentence boundaries would help your ideas come across more reliably.

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