Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-19

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)

Yes the access to clean water is a basic human right so every home should have a water supply that is provided free of cost. becouse the access to clean water is basic need for any human and it's also compulsory for our body.

Yes i agree with this statment becuse access to clean water becuse its our basic need so government sould have to supply it free of cost becuse due inflation and unemployment a lot of people are trying to save there money for other expences so it should have to provided free of cost.

However, making water totally free causes problems. First, people waste things that cost nothing. Without a water bill, people might leave taps running or use too much water for washing cars and gardens.

Second, cleaning water and fixing pipes costs a lot of money. If water is free, the government will not have money to repair leaks. For example, places with free water often have broken pipes because there is no money to fix them.

In conclusion, clean water is a human right, but making it completely free is not a good idea. Instead, governments should give a little free water for basic needs and charge a fair price for extra use to stop waste and keep pipes working well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the question and present a position: you initially agree that water should be free, but later argue that completely free supply is not advisable and recommend a basic free allowance with charges for extra use. This final position is relevant, and the points about waste and the cost of maintaining pipes provide some support. However, the shift from agreement to a qualified disagreement is not clearly explained, and the examples—such as places with free water having broken pipes—are asserted rather than substantiated. The response also contains 196 words, below the required 250; 21 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop the reasoning and add a specific, relevant example to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, a paragraph supporting free access, a contrasting paragraph about possible problems, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “However,” “First,” “Second,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main points. However, the overall progression is weakened by the unclear change from “Yes i agree” to the conclusion that completely free water is not a good idea. The first two paragraphs also repeat the same basic-need argument rather than advancing it. Make the position consistent from the introduction onward, and use each paragraph to develop a distinct point with a clear link to your recommendation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “clean water,” “water bill,” “inflation,” “unemployment,” “repair leaks,” and “extra use.” Some choices are appropriate to the discussion, and the contrast between free basic supply and paid extra use is understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, especially “free of cost” and “basic need.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including “becouse,” “statment,” “expences,” and “waste things,” which make the writing less precise. Build a wider set of accurate expressions for affordability, water consumption, and infrastructure, and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate your main points using mostly simple sentence patterns and make some attempts to connect ideas with clauses, as in “If water is free, the government will not have money to repair leaks.” This conditional structure is clear. However, the range of sentence forms is limited, and errors occur in basic sentence construction and punctuation. For example, “Yes the access to clean water is a basic human right so every home should have…” needs clearer punctuation between its clauses, while “government sould have to supply it” has an awkward verb pattern. Capitalisation is also inconsistent, particularly at the beginnings of sentences. Practise accurate clause joining and vary sentence structures while keeping each sentence controlled.

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.