Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-03
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)
Access to clean water is undoubtedly essential for human health and well-being, and therefore it should be available to everyone. However, I disagree with the idea that every household should receive an unlimited water supply completely free of charge. In my view, governments should guarantee access to safe drinking water while charging households a reasonable amount for their consumption.
The main reason for supporting free access to basic water is that clean water is essential for human survival. People need it for drinking, cooking and maintaining basic hygiene, regardless of their financial circumstances. In many developing countries, low-income families may struggle to afford even essential services, and charging them for water could prevent them from obtaining an adequate supply. Therefore, governments should ensure that every household has access to a minimum amount of safe water, either free of charge or at a heavily subsidised rate. This would help protect public health and reduce diseases caused by contaminated water.
Nevertheless, providing all household water completely free of charge could create significant problems. Firstly, water treatment, infrastructure and distribution require substantial investment, and governments need revenue to maintain these systems. If water were entirely free, taxpayers would ultimately have to cover these costs, which could place an unnecessary burden on public finances. Secondly, free water could encourage excessive consumption. For example, households might leave taps running or use large quantities of water for gardening because they have no financial incentive to conserve it. A reasonable pricing system can therefore encourage people to use this limited resource more responsibly.
In conclusion, I believe that clean water should be treated as a basic human necessity and that governments should guarantee everyone access to a sufficient amount of safe water. However, I do not agree that unlimited household water should be provided completely free of charge. A system combining free or subsidised basic access with reasonable charges for higher consumption would be a fairer and more sustainable solution.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.5 |
| 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 have taken a clear position from the introduction and maintained it throughout the essay. The ideas are well-developed, with the first body paragraph acknowledging the necessity of water for survival and the second paragraph providing a logical counter-argument regarding infrastructure costs and conservation. The balance between the two sides is excellent, and the conclusion effectively synthesizes your argument. The response is well-structured and directly answers the question posed, demonstrating a high level of task engagement.
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 paragraphs is smooth. You have used a variety of cohesive devices effectively, such as 'However', 'The main reason', 'Nevertheless', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader through your argument. The referencing is clear, and the paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different stages of your argument. The flow of information is natural and easy to follow throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.5
You demonstrate a wide and flexible range of vocabulary that is appropriate for an academic context. Phrases such as 'financial circumstances', 'heavily subsidised rate', 'substantial investment', and 'financial incentive' show a good command of topic-specific language. The word choices are precise and contribute to the clarity of your argument. There are no noticeable errors in word choice or collocation, and the language used is natural and sophisticated enough to meet the requirements for a high band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The essay displays a wide range of grammatical structures with high accuracy. You have successfully used complex sentences, such as 'If water were entirely free, taxpayers would ultimately have to cover these costs', which demonstrates good control over conditional forms. Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and the majority of your sentences are error-free. The grammatical control is consistent, and there are no slips that impede communication. The variety of sentence structures keeps the writing engaging and professional.
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