Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-07

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 a basic human necessity, and I strongly agree that every household should have access to a free supply of clean water. This is particularly important because low-income families may not be able to afford safe drinking water. I also believe that providing free clean water can help improve public health.

Firstly, clean water should be supplied for free to support low-income families. They might not have access to clean water, therefore they may have to pay for it, which can put pressure on their limited budget. As a result, some families may choose unsafe water sources instead of paying for clean water. This can lead to many health issues. For example, families living in areas without a reliable water supply may have to buy bottled water or pay for water delivery. Therefore, it is important to have a free supply of clean water to save them money and to avoid any serious health issues.

Secondly, clean water can help to reduce health problems caused by unsafe water. Water is essential in our daily lives for drinking, cooking, washing and maintaining personal hygiene. If we use dirty or unsafe water in our daily routine, it can lead to many health problems. Therefore, access to clean water can help people stay healthy and healthier people can study and work more effectively. This benefits society as a whole, not just individual households.

In conclusion, every household should have free access to clean water because it is a basic human necessity. This can benefit the whole nation by improving public health and reducing the financial burden on low-income families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion, and you address the central question by arguing that households should receive clean water free of charge. The two reasons—protecting low-income families and improving public health—are relevant and supported with explanations, including the example of families paying for bottled water or delivery. This fits the descriptor for a well-addressed task with ideas extended and supported. To strengthen the response further, develop the practical meaning of “free” more precisely: for example, clarify whether all household use should be free or whether a basic amount should be provided without charge. The public-health point is persuasive but remains somewhat general, so a specific consequence or example would make its support more convincing. The response meets the stated length requirement; eight words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present separate reasons, and the conclusion restates the position. Sequencing is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” make the progression explicit. This is coherent and shows some effective organisation. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical because the same linking pattern and repeated references to “clean water” and “health problems” recur. In the first body paragraph, “therefore” links the clauses awkwardly, and the chain from affordability to unsafe sources to illness could be connected more smoothly. Use a wider range of referencing and transitions, and make links between cause and consequence more precise, to achieve a more flexible, consistently natural flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for expressing the argument clearly, with relevant phrases such as “low-income families,” “unsafe water sources,” “financial burden,” and “public health.” These choices suit the topic and help communicate your main points. The range is nevertheless somewhat repetitive and relies on common wording, particularly “clean water,” “free,” and “health problems.” Some phrasing is imprecise or redundant: “stay healthy and healthier people” repeats the same idea, while “a free supply of clean water to save them money” could be expressed more precisely. To improve, use a broader set of accurate topic-specific terms and vary repeated expressions, while checking that alternatives fit their context. More precise collocations would add flexibility without making the argument harder to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and several sentences are controlled well, including “This benefits society as a whole, not just individual households.” Conditional structures such as “If we use dirty or unsafe water … it can lead to many health problems” also show an attempt to vary sentence patterns. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain. In “They might not have access to clean water, therefore they may have to pay for it,” the comma incorrectly joins two independent clauses; use a full stop or a semicolon before “therefore.” There is also an extra space after the full stop in “health problems. Therefore” and before “This” in the conclusion. These do not obstruct meaning, but more consistent clause punctuation and proofreading would make the writing more accurate and polished.

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