Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-04

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 6.5)

Access to clean water is essential for human survival and good health. Some individuals think that every household should receive water free of charge because it is a basic human right. I partly agree with this notion. Although everyone should have access to safe drinking water, I believe that charging a reasonable fee is necessary to ensure responsible use and maintain water supply systems. I will discuss my points in upcoming paragraphs.

On the one hand, every person deserves access to clean water regardless of their financial situation. Water is necessary for drinking cooking and maintaining hygiene. Without it, people are more likely to surfer form diseases and poor living conditions. Therefore, governments should guarantee that all members receive an minimum amount of clean water free of charge. This is especially important for low-income families who may struggle to pay their utility bills. For instance, many countries provide free or subsidized water to disadvantaged households to improve public health.

On the other hand. making all water completely free could lead to unnecessary waste. When people do not pay for a service, they may not value it and could use more water than they actually need. In addition, water treatment plants, pipelines and distribution systems require large amounts of money to build and maintain. If no one paid for water, governments would have to increase taxes or reduce spending on other essential services such as education and healthcare.

In conclusion, I believe that access to clean water is a fundamental human right, and every household should receive enough water to meet basic needs without cost. However, charging for excessive water consumption is a fair solution because it encourages conservation and helps governments maintain reliable water services

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by presenting a clear, balanced position. You acknowledge the importance of water as a human right while providing a logical counter-argument regarding the necessity of fees for maintenance and conservation. Your ideas are well-developed, particularly in the body paragraphs where you contrast the needs of low-income families with the practicalities of infrastructure funding. The conclusion effectively synthesizes your position. To reach a higher band, you could further extend your arguments by providing more specific, real-world examples of how tiered pricing systems work in practice, which would add depth to your analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use transition signals such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition' to guide the reader through your argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the topic. However, there is a minor punctuation error in the second body paragraph ('On the other hand. making...') which slightly disrupts the flow. To improve, ensure that your cohesive devices are punctuated correctly and consider using a wider variety of referencing pronouns to link sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Terms such as 'subsidized', 'distribution systems', and 'excessive water consumption' are used effectively. There are a few minor errors, such as 'surfer form' (likely a typo for 'suffer from') and 'an minimum' (incorrect article usage). While your vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more sophisticated collocations or less common academic phrases would elevate your writing. Overall, your word choice is clear and contributes to the reader's understanding of your argument.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free. However, there are a few grammatical slips, such as the aforementioned article error ('an minimum') and the missing comma after 'drinking' in the list 'drinking cooking and maintaining'. These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, focus on ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement and refining your use of articles and punctuation in complex lists.

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

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