Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-17

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 provision of clean water is a nessecity as it is a human right. While other people believe that all households should pay to have access to water supplies , I believe it is necessary to let it be accessible freely because of various reasons.

One major significance of having free water at homes is the improved sanitation level. Many people use water for different purposes like bathing cleaning and washing their clothes. For instance toilets require water for flushing and without it there might be a wide spread of diseases. Moreso, water is a basic need for drinking. If high charges may be posed some individuals might be severely affected as they might not get money to pay for the water supply. For example India has low sanitation levels, probably it might be the cause of high water charges.

However, a small charge is not harmful as it will be used to reapair the damaged pipes. Therefore, residents should be sensitized to accept to pay a small amount so that they are also resposible citizens and have cean treated water .

In conclusion, it is good to offer free water supply

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You take a position in favour of free access, and the points about sanitation, drinking water and disease are relevant to the question. However, the response addresses the issue only partially: the argument is brief, and several claims are not explained enough to show how free household supply would work. The example about India is speculative (“probably it might be the cause of high water charges”) and does not clearly support the claim. Your concession that a small charge could fund pipe repairs also complicates your position, but you do not explain how this fits with water being free. The conclusion is incomplete and does not restate your reasoning. The response is also below the required 250 words; develop each reason with explanation and a specific, relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph supporting free water, a concession about maintenance charges, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “However,” and “Therefore” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is limited because the main body is short and the final paragraph ends abruptly without summarising the argument. Some connections are unclear: the move from sanitation to drinking water is rapid, and the India example does not clearly follow from the point about unaffordable charges. Build each paragraph around one central idea, explain it in sequence, and use referencing or linking phrases only where they make the relationship between claims explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “sanitation,” “water supply,” “flushing,” and “damaged pipes,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “basic need” and “residents should be sensitized.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “improved sanitation level,” “charges may be posed,” and “reapair the damaged pipes.” Spelling errors such as “nessecity,” “resposible,” and “cean” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations such as “improve sanitation,” “impose charges,” and “repair damaged pipes,” and check spelling carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some attempts at complex structures, for example, “While other people believe …, I believe …” and “If high charges may be posed …”. This shows an effort to vary sentence forms, and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, control is uneven: the conditional sentence is not formed naturally, and “If high charges may be posed some individuals might be severely affected” needs clearer punctuation and a more accurate conditional structure. There are also issues with sentence boundaries and punctuation, such as the missing comma after “For instance” and the incomplete final sentence. Practise accurate conditional patterns and review commas, sentence completeness, and clause connections.

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