Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-21
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)
Access to clean water is an essential for human life. I believe that sufficient water supply should be provided free of cost but extra charges applied for extraordinary usage.
Free water supply is necessary for human lives because of poor families and their health problems. People who have low income are not able to pay the bills for water supply. Since these families have limited incomes, they may struggle to afford basic needs such as foods, clothes and electricity bills. It difficult to manage the extra charges for water. This leads to the attribute that they face many issues like not getting the clean water. Consequently, it may poor effect on their health using the contaminated water and unable to maintain the cleanliness in the homes.
On the other hand . I think that the some extra charges should be applied for the extra usage due to maintance of water supply. The water dams need to be clean or filter from the harmfull bacteria. Government needs a huge amount of budget for the maintanace of water. Furthermore, most people waste a lot of water without knowing it importance.
In the conclusion, access of limited water should be free for every individual but some extra cost should be charged for the extra usage. Government should need to make the rules for the supply of water like access of water should be limited time .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
Your position is identifiable: you support free access to basic water while accepting charges for unusually high use. You give relevant reasons, including affordability for low-income households and the cost of maintaining water infrastructure. However, the response addresses the issue only partially because these points are brief and not fully explained; for example, you mention health risks from contaminated water but do not develop how free provision would prevent them. The final suggestion to limit the time water is available is also unclear and not connected to your main argument. The response is 233 words, so it does not meet the 250-word minimum. Develop each reason with a specific explanation or example and clarify how your proposal would work.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph supporting free provision, a contrasting paragraph about extra charges, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “Furthermore,” and “Consequently” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. For instance, the move from low incomes to “the attribute” and then to health effects is difficult to follow, and the final recommendation about limiting access time appears abruptly. Some linking is mechanical, and punctuation around “On the other hand” is faulty. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each supporting point explicitly to your position; ensure the conclusion follows from the reasons already discussed.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “low income,” “contaminated water,” “extra charges,” and “water supply.” However, the range is limited and several word choices, collocations, and spelling errors make parts of the response difficult to understand. Phrases such as “the attribute,” “poor effect,” and “clean or filter from the harmful bacteria” are not natural or precise in this context. There are also repeated spelling errors in words such as “maintenance” and “harmful.” Build a more accurate range for discussing affordability, public services, and infrastructure, and check spelling carefully. More precise phrasing would make your argument clearer without requiring unnecessarily advanced vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt some complex sentences, including the explanation beginning “Since these families have limited incomes,” and use a conditional idea about what low-income households can afford. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “Access to clean water is an essential,” “It difficult to manage,” and “Government should need to make the rules,” where sentence structure or verb forms are faulty. Articles and agreement also need attention, as in “the some extra charges.” Punctuation is inconsistent, particularly the space before the full stop after “On the other hand.” Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses and check that each sentence has a complete subject and verb.
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