Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-24
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 7.5)
It is often argued that clean water is a fundamental human right, and for this reason, governments should supply it to all households free of charge. While I agree that access to basic clean water is essential for life, I completely disagree that it should be provided entirely without cost to every household.
On the one hand, a basic allocation of water is necessary to ensure public health and human dignity. Without safe drinking water, individuals are at a severe risk of contracting waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery, which can cripple entire communities. Furthermore, low-income families often struggle financially to afford basic utilities. If governments provide a free minimum daily allowance of clean water for essential needs like drinking, cooking, and sanitation, it would prevent extreme poverty from compromising fundamental human health.
On the other hand, providing unlimited free water to every home is financially unsustainable and environmentally harmful. Maintaining water purification plants, repairing pipe networks, and paying municipal staff require significant funding. If water is completely free, governments may lack the revenue to maintain high-quality infrastructure, leading to poor water quality over time. Additionally, making water free encourages wasteful consumption.
In conclusion, although every individual deserves access to safe water, making household water supply entirely free of charge is impractical. A more effective solution is for governments to provide a free daily quota for basic human survival, while charging households for any excess usage to promote conservation and fund infrastructure. Ans for the provided free of charge .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt. You clearly state your position in the introduction and maintain it throughout the essay. The ideas are well-developed, with a logical distinction between the necessity of basic water access and the practical/economic arguments against universal free supply. The conclusion provides a balanced synthesis of your arguments. The final sentence, 'Ans for the provided free of charge', is a confusing, irrelevant fragment that detracts slightly from the overall professional tone, but it does not prevent the essay from being a well-argued, fully developed response that meets all task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the two sides of the argument is smooth, utilizing cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Referencing is generally clear, and the flow of information is natural. The minor issue at the very end of the text is a slight disruption to the otherwise coherent structure, but the overall management of cohesion remains strong.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task. Phrases such as 'fundamental human right', 'financially unsustainable', 'environmentally harmful', and 'promote conservation' show a high level of lexical control. You use topic-specific terminology accurately, such as 'waterborne diseases', 'sanitation', and 'infrastructure'. While the vocabulary is precise and fits the context well, it stops just short of the 'wide and sophisticated' range required for the highest band, as it relies on standard academic collocations rather than more nuanced or idiomatic expressions. Nevertheless, the control is consistent and error-free.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The essay displays a good variety of complex sentence structures, including conditional clauses ('If governments provide...') and concessive clauses ('Although every individual...'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and your control over punctuation and tense is consistent. There are no significant grammatical errors that impede communication. The structure is varied, moving between simple, compound, and complex sentences with ease. The minor error at the end ('Ans for the provided...') is an isolated slip that does not reflect your overall grammatical competence, which is strong and reliable.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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