Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-31

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)

Around world wide water is considered as a basic human need. Therefore every home need a access to clean water. some people argue that people should have a water supply that is provided without a charge. However i disagree with this and believe that there have to be a small affordable fee for water.

In the world more than 75% is covered by water. However we cant use that water for our daily routine purposes. This is because most of the water covered the earth is salty water. Therefore, there is a limited amount of clean water is available for human consumption. Authorities are responsible for managing these clean water sources. Therefore if they provide water free of charge people may do not understand the value of the clean water. Therefore it should provided with a affordable amount.

Furthermore, in some countries there are no readily available water for for human consumption.This is because they are located near the desert areas. As a result they use purified salty water. For instance most of the middle east countries are use saltwater purifing systems for produce clean water. Processes and maintenance of this systems require considerable amount of funds.Therefore it is not sutainable for country with less fresh water sources. Therefore water shoul provided with a price that people can bare.

In conclusion, although access to clean water is a basic human right i believe that it should not provided free of charge because it can influences the irresponsible water consumption and also can be a burden for countries with less water sources.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you disagree with free household water and support an affordable charge. Both body paragraphs give relevant reasons—people may waste water if it is free, and desalination requires funding—so the response addresses the question. However, these points are asserted more than fully explained; for example, explain how a modest fee could discourage waste while still protecting access for low-income households. The claim that a fee is needed because some countries have limited freshwater also needs a clearer link to the responsibility to provide water as a human right. The response is 244 words, six words below the 250-word minimum; the 17 words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop the reasoning and add a relevant example to complete the response more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction states your view, two paragraphs present separate reasons, and a conclusion restates your position. This makes the main line of argument understandable. However, progression within paragraphs is weakened by repeated use of “Therefore” and “This is because,” which makes the links feel mechanical rather than showing precisely how each point follows. Some connections are also unclear, such as moving from the proportion of the Earth covered by water to the claim that a fee would make people value clean water. Use a wider range of linking methods, and make each paragraph develop one reason in a clear sequence: claim, explanation, and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “human consumption,” “purified,” “maintenance,” and “water sources,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “saltwater purifying systems.” However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make the writing less natural, including “a water supply … without a charge,” “water can bare,” and “water covered the earth.” Spelling errors such as “sutainable” and “purifing” are noticeable, and repeated use of “clean water” and “Therefore” limits variety. Build accuracy with common topic collocations and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including explanations with “because” and a concession in the conclusion beginning “although.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to follow. Examples include “every home need a access,” “there is a limited amount … is available,” and “it should provided,” which show problems with agreement, articles, and verb forms. The sentence “people may do not understand” also combines modal and negative forms incorrectly. Review subject–verb agreement, article use, and verb patterns after modal verbs, then proofread each sentence for a complete and correctly formed verb phrase.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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