Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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 6.0)

In my opinion, clean water is a basic human necessity, and everyone should have access to it. However, providing water completely free of charge to every household is impractical. This essay will explain why governments should guarantee access to clean water while charging consumers for its use.

Clean water is essential for human survival and should therefore be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial circumstances. People need it not only for drinking but also for cooking, bathing and maintaining proper hygiene. If households were unable to afford their water bills, low-income families might be forced to reduce their water consumption, which could lead to serious health problems. Therefore, governments should ensure that every household has access to a sufficient amount of safe water at an affordable price.

Water may occur naturally, but making it safe to drink and delivering it to homes requires treatment plants, pipes, electricity and workers.

Example: Governments need revenue to repair leaking pipes and maintain water treatment facilities. If people never had to pay for water, some might use excessive amounts for washing cars, watering gardens or other non-essential activities.

Example: Charging for higher levels of consumption can encourage households to conserve water during shortages. Governments could provide a basic quantity of clean water free of charge or at a low price, while charging more for excessive consumption.

Example: Low-income households could receive assistance, while wealthier households pay for the additional water they use.

In conclusion, government should guarantee clean water access but should charge more for overconsumption of it. That is, so that people do not waste it

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you support guaranteed access to clean water but oppose making all household use free. You address both the human-rights concern and the practical costs, and the examples about maintaining treatment facilities and discouraging waste are relevant. The response also proposes a balanced policy—providing a basic quantity free or cheaply and charging more for excess use—which shows a useful degree of development. However, some points are presented as outline-style examples rather than fully explained reasoning, and the conclusion mainly repeats the position instead of drawing the argument together. To strengthen the response, explain how the proposed pricing system would protect access while funding supply, and develop the low-income assistance point with a specific illustration.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The opening establishes your position, and the first body paragraph follows logically by explaining why access matters. However, the next section is presented as a sequence of separate lines beginning with “Example:” rather than as a developed paragraph. This interrupts the progression and makes the examples feel like notes instead of connected support for the argument. The conclusion is also abrupt, particularly the final fragment, “That is, so that people do not waste it.” Use clear paragraphing to group the costs, conservation measures and support for poorer households, and connect these points with transitions that show their relationships. This would create a more continuous argument while retaining the generally understandable overall organisation.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of relevant vocabulary, including “financial circumstances,” “water treatment facilities,” “excessive consumption” and “conserve water.” These choices communicate the central ideas clearly and show some ability to use topic-specific language. There are also a few less natural or imprecise expressions: “clean water access” would be more idiomatic as “access to clean water,” while “charge more for overconsumption of it” is awkward and could be expressed more precisely as charging higher rates for excessive use. “Basic human necessity” is understandable, though “essential human need” is more natural in this context. Aim for consistent, precise collocations, especially when describing water pricing and public provision; this would make the argument sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, and several sentences are controlled well, such as “If households were unable to afford their water bills, low-income families might be forced to reduce their water consumption.” The conditional structure is effective, and the opening also presents your position clearly. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain. In the conclusion, “That is, so that people do not waste it” is an incomplete sentence, and the preceding sentence would be clearer with a full stop or a more complete clause. “Government should guarantee” also needs a determiner or plural form: “the government should guarantee” or “governments should guarantee.” Continue using complex sentences, while checking sentence completeness, articles and punctuation during revision.

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