Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In a number of countries, some people think it is necessary to spend large sums of money on constructing new railway lines for very fast trains between cities. Others believe the money should be spent on improving existing public transport.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

With the modernization and fastness f life some people belive that it is now necessary for govenment to spend a huge amount of fuds on bilting ew fast running railway system on the balanced hand people say money should spend on existing public transport to inprove. In my opinion, improve ment of existing ways is necessary because these transport system isused by numerous people like students,travelers, workers and also by job houlders etc.

On the one had, constructing new high-speed railway is a goood suggestion it is beneficial. Mainly, it is more relayable , more eople use railway to travel from city to city, best for tourist transport, workers use train for traveling instead of cars hivh is economically beneficial, railway between major city is very benefecial because more go in these cities for job and also it is time saving transport. For instance, if high-speed trains connects major cities of a country thousandsof people use fast trais instead of their cars.

On the balanced side, improving existing transport system in cities is more required. Thousands of people use public transport to reach their offices, shopes, works,and also students use public transport to reach their school, college etc therefore, public transport is over crowded. So, it is more beneficial to improve existing sources of transport like increasing thr number of transport vehicles and improve rodes. For example if number of busses increase it will directly decrease the overcrowdness so transportation will become relayable.

In conlusion, instead of spending sums on new railway system it more beneficial to improve th existing transort means.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for improving existing transport, especially in the introduction and conclusion. The points about high-speed rail saving time and reducing car use, and about crowded buses serving commuters and students, are relevant. However, the two views are not developed equally: the case for new rail lines is supported mainly by a list of benefits, while the case for improving current services has a clearer explanation of how more buses could reduce overcrowding. The examples are hypothetical and general. To strengthen the response, explain the consequences of each investment in more detail and give a specific, realistic example, while making your reasons for preferring existing transport more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. This makes the discussion easy to follow at a broad level, and phrases such as “On the one hand” and “In conclusion” signal the stages of the argument. However, some linking is mechanical or inaccurate: “On the balanced side” does not clearly introduce the opposing view, and the opening sentence is difficult to follow because several ideas are joined together without clear punctuation. Within paragraphs, points sometimes appear as lists rather than a developed sequence. Use accurate contrast markers, divide long sentences, and connect each supporting detail to the main claim so progression is clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “high-speed railway,” “public transport,” “overcrowded,” and “time saving,” which helps communicate the main ideas. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the response difficult to read, such as “fastness,” “fuds,” “relayable,” and “overcrowdness.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “best for tourist transport” and “job houlders.” Aim to learn accurate collocations for transport and investment, and check spelling carefully. More precise wording would help you explain benefits and drawbacks without relying on repeated general terms such as “beneficial” and “more required.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a reason clause in “because these transport system is used by numerous people” and a conditional example beginning “if number of busses increase.” However, control is uneven, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries sometimes make meaning harder to follow. For example, “these transport system is used” has a mismatch between the plural demonstrative and singular noun, while “money should spend” is missing a passive verb form. The opening sentence also runs several clauses together. Practise building accurate subject–verb patterns and passive constructions, and use full stops to separate complete ideas. Proofreading for punctuation and agreement will improve clarity.

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