Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-03

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 7.0)

I completely agree that clean water is a fundamental human right and that every household should have an easy and reliable water supply. But I do not believe that providing unlimited water entirely free of charge is a practical solution, as maintaining water infrastructure requires substantial financial resources.

Undeniably, water plays a very crucial role in our lives. We need water for various purposes and to maintain our lifestyles. However, water alone is not enough; we need clean water to remain healthy and foster our overall well-being. Consuming polluted water can weaken the immune system and make human beings prone to different types of diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, aids, etc. Yearly, thousands of people lose their lives to these types of diseases, especially low-income families, as they may struggle to afford necessities. Governments should ensure everyone has access to a minimum daily supply of safe drinking water.

In contrast, even though clean water should be accessible to everyone, the idea of making it free is impractical. As a significant financial investment is required for water treatment, purification, and distribution, making it free may create a financial burden for the government. The fee should be very low and reasonable so that anyone can afford it. The fees can help to maintain pipelines and infrastructure also the people will have some sense of accountability to not waste and overconsume water.

In conclusion, water supply is a basic human need, and everyone should have access to clean and safe drinking water, and a small, reasonable charge should be levied for this to make people responsible.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear throughout: you support access to clean water but argue that a modest charge is more practical than making all water free. You address both the human-rights argument and the costs of treatment and distribution, and you support your points with relevant examples, including waterborne diseases and the needs of low-income families. This meets the task well. To strengthen the response further, develop the distinction between a basic free allowance and charges for additional use: your suggestion of a “minimum daily supply” is useful, but you do not explain how it could be funded or protected for households unable to pay. Some claims, such as fees encouraging accountability, would also benefit from a specific example or qualification.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear progression: the introduction establishes your qualified agreement, the body paragraphs explain the health case and the practical objection, and the conclusion restates your position. Paragraphing is appropriate, and transitions such as “However,” “In contrast,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. The main opportunity is to make links between ideas more precise and less formulaic. For example, the shift from the health effects of polluted water to the claim that governments should guarantee a minimum supply could be explained more explicitly. The sentence beginning “The fees can help” also joins two related points without a clear connector or punctuation. More varied referencing and smoother links between supporting details would make the progression even more seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a sufficient range of topic vocabulary and show some flexibility, including “fundamental human right,” “water infrastructure,” “financial resources,” “purification,” and “accountability.” These choices communicate the central argument clearly, and the tone is generally appropriate for an academic essay. There are occasional imprecise or unnatural collocations, however. “Water plays a very crucial role” is redundant, while “maintain our lifestyles” is less precise than the context requires. “Diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, aids” also needs more careful formal presentation, including capitalization of AIDS and a more suitable phrase for introducing examples. Aim for concise, accurate collocations and avoid intensifiers that add little meaning; this would make your vocabulary more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the concession in “even though clean water should be accessible to everyone” and the reason clause explaining the financial burden. Many sentences are clear and grammatically controlled, so the argument remains easy to understand. A few errors persist, particularly in sentence boundaries and punctuation. In “The fees can help to maintain pipelines and infrastructure also the people will have…,” two independent clauses are joined without suitable punctuation or a linking word. The opening “But” after the first sentence is also less suitable for formal academic style, and “aids” should be capitalised as the disease name. Review clause joining and punctuation, and vary complex sentence patterns while maintaining this generally good control.

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