Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-18

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)

While it is undeniable that access to clean water is a basic human right, I disagree that it should be free for every household. As if it is provided free of charge it will put an enormous burden on the economy for the government.

To begin with, purified water is essential for health and it's easy access is a basic right for the community. No doubt, many impurities are present in contaminated water which affects the health badly. For instance, cholera is present in contaminated water its intake results in diarrhea, additionally, in severe cases it is fatal. Although for the easy and cost-effective access of clean water, Government should arrange the purified water plants in different areas of cities and towns. These plants have filters for the disinfection of contaminated water, moreover, residents use this water according to their needs. This type of system is cheap and affordable by the authorities.

On the other hand, providing free water to every single house will adversely affect the economy. A huge amount of money will need for this system of specific water supplies. One significant drawback is, people will waste the free water from their household water supplies. However, providing a fix quantity of free clean water to every house is the other way to facilitate the citizens and charging cost over extra water. For example, in the US a fix liters of disinfect water i.e. 10 liters per day is provided free of cost by the policymakers and a charge on extra water is included in their bills.

Although pure water is a basic right of every citizen, it should not be totally free because it will severely affects the economy. Different cost effective ways should be used by the government, for facilitating residents and charging money on extra needs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you accept that clean water is a right but disagree that every household should receive it free. You address both the health importance of clean water and the economic concern, and the proposal to provide a limited free amount with charges for extra use is relevant. The examples about cholera and household waste help explain your reasoning. However, some points are less fully developed than others: the claim that free supply would burden the economy is asserted rather than supported with specific explanation, and the US example needs clearer context or verification. Develop these points and explain how your proposed system would protect access for poorer households. The response meets the task’s length requirement; nine words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting different considerations, and a conclusion that restates your position. This gives the reader an overall route through your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by mechanical or inaccurate linking. For example, “Although for the easy and cost-effective access…” does not form a complete contrast, while “moreover” joins ideas that would be clearer as separate sentences. The second body paragraph also moves quickly from economic cost to waste and then to a rationing proposal. Use topic sentences that state each paragraph’s main point, and make the relationship between examples and claims explicit. Clearer referencing and more selective connectors would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “contaminated water,” “purified water plants,” “disinfection,” and “adversely affect the economy,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “facilitate residents.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “easy access” is written as “it's easy access,” “a fix quantity” should be “a fixed quantity,” and “disinfect water” is not the natural phrase for treated water. Repetition of “free,” “water,” and “economy” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise collocations and vary repeated terms where appropriate, while checking spelling and word forms. These improvements would make your meaning more natural and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Although” and “However,” and your main position remains understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, but they rarely prevent the reader from following the argument. For example, “As if it is provided free of charge it will put…” is an incomplete and awkwardly connected construction; “it will severely affects” has incorrect verb form; and “A huge amount of money will need” is missing a grammatical complement such as “to be spent.” There are also issues with articles, agreement, and punctuation in sentences such as the cholera example. Practise building complete clauses and checking subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, especially in longer sentences.

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