Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-26

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)

I partially agree with this observation that every human being should have access to clean water and it should be free of charge because there are pros and cons from both side for water supplier and for end users too.

First i'll discuss that why i agree with this statement. Main reason of agreeing is that in our societies there are many people who are financially struggling and they cannot afford if the clean water is not free of cost. For example, Our care-taker , as he belongs to rural side of the city where clean water is only accessible if they pay money to the water supplier and to be very honest he cannot afford it so what he do, he walks 2 to 3 miles to water filtration plant to fill in their bottles and bring it back home and use it, its like their daily routine. If water supply was free they wouldn't have to suffer that much and they could easily get clean water.

Now i'll discuss why i disagree with this statement, In order to get clean water the water supply companies use different methods to filtrate the dirty water, The procedure involves days of hard work. Daily wage workers are involved, Electricity is used to run the machines that are used to clean water and then the cost of fuel that is used to supply the water. So if water is not free to end users it can costs a lot to the companies and it can ultimately make them bankrupt.

From both of my reasonings i belive on this conclusion that if the rich starts paying taxes and the government starts funding or helping water supply companies to provide fresh and clean water to poor and everyone then in this situation our both problems will be solved.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the issue and give a clear practical example: the caretaker who travels several miles to obtain clean water illustrates why affordability matters. You also recognise the cost of treatment and delivery, then propose government support and taxes as a compromise. However, the position is only partly clear: the opening says you partially agree, while the conclusion focuses on a funding solution without stating precisely whether every household should receive water free of charge. The discussion of companies’ costs is relevant but not fully developed; explain why this means water should be paid for, or how public funding could cover essential use. A more explicit, consistently stated position and fuller explanation of the proposal would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph supporting free access, a paragraph presenting the opposing view, and a concluding compromise. Signposting such as “First” and “Now” helps readers follow the two sides, and the example is placed where it supports the argument. However, the repeated formula “I’ll discuss” makes the progression somewhat mechanical, and the conclusion introduces taxes and government funding without clearly linking those measures to the costs raised in the previous paragraph. Some references are also unclear, particularly “both problems” and “their bottles,” whose referents are not fully precise. Use more natural transitions and make the relationship between each reason and the final proposal explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “financially struggling,” “water filtration plant,” “water supply companies,” and “funding.” These choices show awareness of the subject, and the caretaker example is understandable. However, the range is limited by repeated use of general words such as “water,” “free,” and “cost,” while several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, including “from both side,” “rural side of the city,” “filtrate the dirty water,” and “believe on this conclusion.” Spelling and word-form slips such as “belive” and “costs” also reduce precision. Build a more varied set of accurate collocations for affordability, treatment, distribution, and public subsidies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional forms such as “If water supply was free…” and a longer explanation of the treatment process. The main ideas remain understandable, but errors occur in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “what he do” should be “what does he do,” and “it can costs” should be “it can cost.” The opening sentence is also awkwardly joined, while the long sentence beginning “Daily wage workers are involved” would be clearer if its items were organised into a complete, parallel structure. Capitalisation and apostrophes are inconsistent in “i’ll” and “its.” Practise accurate complex sentences and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries.

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.