Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18

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 widely considered an essential part of a decent standard of living. I strongly agree that every household should have access to a basic supply of clean water without charge.

The main reason for providing free water is that it is essential for human health and everyday life. People need clean water not onyl for drinking and cooking, but also for maintaining basic hygiene. If households cannot afford an adequate supply, they may reduce their water consumption to an unhealthy level. For example, low income families may struggle to pay their water bills and could be forced to limit their use of water for bathing and cleaning.

Another important benefit is that free access to basic water can reduce inequality between different groups in socity. While wealthy households can generally afford regular water charges, low-income families may find these costs difficult to manage. Providing a basic amount of water free of charge would ensure that poorer households can meet their essentail needs without sacrificing money needed for food education or healthcare. This could be particulary important in areas where household incomes are low and water prices are relatively high. Admittedly completely free water could encourage unnecessary consumption. However, government could provide a basic allowance free of charge and charge households for excessive use. In the end, I believe that every household should be entitled to a basic supply of clean water free of charge because it is essential for health and can help reduce social inequality.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student presents a clear and well-developed position throughout the essay, strongly agreeing with the proposition that clean water should be provided free of charge to every home. All parts of the prompt are addressed, with relevant reasons provided regarding health and socio-economic equality. The ideas are extended and supported effectively, such as the example concerning low-income families struggling to pay water bills and limiting their use for bathing and cleaning. Furthermore, the writer demonstrates strong critical thinking by acknowledging a counterargument regarding unnecessary consumption and successfully refuting it by suggesting a tiered allowance system. This meets the criteria for Band 7, as it addresses all parts of the task with a clear position and well-supported ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently structured into an introduction, well-defined body paragraphs focusing on distinct points (health and inequality), an acknowledgement of a counterargument, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'The main reason', 'Another important benefit', 'While', and 'However' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively, with each paragraph having a clear central topic. Referencing throughout the text is generally clear, ensuring the relationships between ideas remain transparent. This performance aligns comfortably with Band 7 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, employing terms such as 'standard of living', 'water consumption', 'inequality', and 'unnecessary consumption'. There are some successful attempts to use less common items with an awareness of style and collocation, such as 'socio-economic equality' (implied) and 'basic allowance'. However, there are a few spelling and typographical errors, notably 'onyl' instead of 'only', 'socity' instead of 'society', 'essentail' instead of 'essential', and 'particulary' instead of 'particularly'. Additionally, 'government' lacks an article or plural form ('the government' or 'governments'). Despite these minor lexical and mechanical inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and communication is never impeded, pointing securely to a Band 6.5 or solid 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer successfully employs complex structures, such as concessive clauses ('While wealthy households can generally afford regular water charges, low-income families may find these costs difficult to manage') and conditional structures. There are several instances of error-free sentences, demonstrating good control of grammar overall. However, a few minor mechanical errors and omissions persist, such as missing articles ('government could provide') alongside the aforementioned spelling slips which occasionally blur grammatical boundaries. Punctuation is generally sound, though a comma is missing before 'or healthcare' in the listing sequence ('food education or healthcare'). Because complex structures are attempted and controlled for the most part despite minor slips, this sits firmly in the Band 7 range.

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