Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-02

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)

Clean water is widely regarded as a fundamental human right, essential for survival and overall well-being. While some individuals argue that every households should receive water entirely free of charge. From my perspective, I partly agree with the notion, as although a certain amount of water needed for basic survival should be provided free, any extra consumption beyond this should be charged, helping to curb wastage and ease the financial burden on government. This essay will discuss both views before justifying this position in forthcoming paragraph.

A point worth emphasizing is that clean water is essential for basic survival, needed for not only for drinking but also for cooking and personal hygiene. Equally, ensuring free access to clean water reduces inequality, as it allows impoverished families to meet their essential needs without financial strain, improving their overall health and quality of life. For instance, a low-income family that no longer budgets for its essential water use can allocate that money on healthy food or their children's education instead.

Equally important is the public health benefit of guaranteeing this basic access to everyone. When essential water needs are freely met, fewer households turn to unsafe alternative sources, reducing the spread of water-borne diseases such cholera. Moreover, Providing disease-free water eases the pressure on the public healthcare system, as fewer people need treatment for preventable illnesses, which ultimately free-up the resources for other needs.

On the contrary, providing unlimited water entirely free of charge could place a heavy financial burden on governments, who must cover the cost of maintaining pipelines and treatment plants without sufficient income from users. Furthermore, every human being have a tendency to waste if its free, the same way if government make the water entirely free may chances of wastage. As an illustration, a household may waste water in gardening or cleaning car beyond their need. Therefore, the best approach should be proving certain amount of water without any charge to fulfill their basic needs and should be charged for extra consumption to mitigate the challenges such as wastage and financial burden on authorities.

In conclusion, although access to a basic amount of clean water is a right that should never be restricted, charging for any additional consumption offers a more sustainable solution , easing the financial strain on government and discouraging wastage. As a result, this approach would strike a fairer balance between accessibility and responsibility use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout, suggesting that basic water needs should be free while excess consumption should be charged. The ideas presented are well-extended and supported with relevant examples, such as low-income families reallocating funds to healthy food or children's education, and the prevention of water-borne diseases like cholera. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise in the fourth paragraph when discussing the universal human tendency to waste free resources. The reasoning is generally sound and directly answers the prompt, touching upon both sides of the argument before presenting a nuanced conclusion, which sits comfortably within the expectations of this band level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction and thesis statement to the health benefits, financial implications, and final conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as "Equally important", "Moreover", and "On the contrary". However, cohesion can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical, and referencing is not always entirely precise, as seen in minor awkward transitions. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, demonstrating the organizational control characteristic of this level while showing glimpses of more flexible structuring that point toward higher bands.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common lexical items such as "fundamental human right", "water-borne diseases", and "sustainable solution". There is an awareness of style and collocation, although some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling persist, such as writing "every households" instead of "every household" in the introduction, and minor mechanical errors like "free-up" instead of "free up". These errors do not impede communication, and the vocabulary allows the writer to convey precise meanings regarding social welfare and resource management, meeting the criteria for this band while showing room for more sophisticated, natural word choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response utilizes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct compound and subordinate clauses, as seen in sentences like "When essential water needs are freely met, fewer households turn to unsafe alternative sources...". However, there are several errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ("every human being have a tendency") and clumsy prepositions or phrasing ("may chances of wastage", "responsible use" instead of "responsibly used"). These errors occur across a mix of complex structures, but they rarely impede communication. The presence of these persistent minor errors alongside a decent variety of structures accurately reflects this band level.

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