Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-14

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)

There is an ongoing debate about whether everyone should have access to water free of charge. I believe that water treatment is expensive and most people should be charged for it. However, the government should introduce programs to pay for those who cannot afford it.

The main reason why I think water should not be free is because the water system is expensive. Water treatment increases the pressure on the government budget, and people should bear their responsibility for paying for what they consume. For example, Queenstown residents do not pay for water; however, it is one of the cities that has the most wealthy people in New Zealand. While paying for this service would not be detrimental to those individuals, the money saved could be invested in something more important such as the healthcare system. Therefore, I believe the government should charge for this service.

On the other hand, there are many people who struggle with the cost of living. For those, access to clean water should be a right rather than a service. To address this issue, governments should create assistence programs to help those in need to have access to clean water free of charge. In Brazil, to exemplify, a person on a minimum wage can request some benefits from the government to help them to pay for basic needs. Providing low-income families access to free clean water, as a basic human right.

To conclude, I believe that water should be charged as a standard. However, the government also must support individuals who are struggling and therefore supporting low-income families with basic needs such as free water.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position that water should generally be charged for, while acknowledging the need for government assistance programs for low-income families. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of Queenstown residents and Brazil's minimum wage policy. However, the final sentence of the third paragraph is a fragment ('Providing low-income families access to free clean water, as a basic human right.'), and the conclusion repeats ideas slightly without fully extending them. Overall, the position is well-maintained and adequately developed throughout the essay, meeting the criteria for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 7.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the main argument against free water, the counter-argument regarding assistance, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'The main reason why', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' are employed to guide the reader through the text. However, referencing is occasionally repetitive, and the final paragraph contains a minor structural hitch in connecting the clauses. Despite these minor flaws, the logical flow is easy to follow and the cohesion is generally well-managed.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating less common items such as 'ongoing debate', 'water treatment', 'detrimental', and 'low-income families'. There are occasional awkward word choices or minor slips, such as 'bear their responsibility' instead of 'bear the responsibility' or 'assistence programs' (spelling error). However, the vocabulary is varied enough to allow precise communication of ideas, and the errors do not impede the reader's understanding. This aligns well with the descriptors for a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or concessive clauses such as 'While paying for this service would not be detrimental...' and 'For those, access to clean water should be a right...'. There are some grammatical errors and awkward constructions, notably the sentence fragment in the third paragraph ('Providing low-income families access to free clean water, as a basic human right.') and the slightly faulty syntax in the conclusion ('therefore supporting low-income families'). Nevertheless, many sentences are error-free, and the grammatical errors rarely impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.

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

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