Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-09

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)

In a lot of countries ; a number of people believe it is important for the government to provide more public funding for building new railway lines for very fast tarins between cities ; while others think that the money should be invested on imporving and maintaning existing public tarnsport infrastrucure .

for the people that support spending large sums of money on constructing a network of new railways for high speed trains ; they defend their position by argueing that it will connect cities and major metropolean areas allowing citizens to move seamlessly avoiding airporats wait times and it would be more convinient and consumes less time ; they also advoctae that it will be more environmentaly friendly than constant flights between cities

howover ; other people including me view that public funds would be better spent on modernising and upgrading existing public transport espatially inside teh cities . firstly ; a lot of the infrastructure taht we have right now is struggeling and crumbeling and there outght to be checked and renovated before any new projects are constructed . secondly ; people use public tarnsportartion inside cities significantly more often than between cities to commute to work for home ; to go to parks and run erands.......etc their whole life is in one city ; and tehy dont really need to go to other cities except for tourisim or visiting family and friends so i dont really see the point on directing huge amount of money towards buidling an infrastructure taht is vital for economic output or incraeses the quality of life of evry day citizens

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both positions and make your own view clear with “including me”: you favour upgrading existing transport, especially within cities. The reasons about ageing infrastructure and the frequency of daily urban journeys are relevant, and you also mention the proposed benefits of high-speed rail, including faster travel and lower environmental impact than flights. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The case for new railways is presented as supporters’ claims without an example or explanation of how these benefits might justify the cost. Your final point about economic output and quality of life is difficult to follow, so the conclusion to your argument is weakened. Explain and support each side more fully, then state your judgement clearly at the end of a complete response to the task prompt, which asks you to discuss both views and give your opinion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall sequence: an introduction, a paragraph presenting the case for high-speed rail, and a paragraph explaining your preference for improving local transport. Connectors such as “firstly” and “secondly” help signal the reasons in your own argument. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The first paragraph is a long chain of claims, and the final paragraph combines several ideas in one extended sentence, making the relationship between daily travel, tourism and public investment hard to follow. The semicolons and repeated “and” do not reliably show how points relate. Use clear paragraph breaks and shorter sentences, and make the contrast between the two views explicit with accurate linking phrases and clear references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “public funding,” “high-speed trains,” “modernising,” “upgrading,” and “infrastructure.” These choices show an attempt to discuss transport policy rather than relying only on basic terms. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors or inaccurate word combinations make the writing less clear, for example “maintaning,” “environmentaly friendly,” and “directing huge amount of money.” Some expressions are also imprecise, such as “their whole life is in one city,” which sounds too absolute for the point being made. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for investment and transport. More precise wording would help you explain the benefits and drawbacks without changing your main ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to express complex relationships, for example by explaining that new railways could connect cities and allow people to travel more easily. However, complex sentences are often difficult to control, and errors sometimes make the intended meaning unclear. In “they defend their position by argueing,” the verb pattern is incorrect; “by arguing” is needed. The final sentence also contains a long series of clauses without clear grammatical boundaries, while “people use public transportation … to commute to work for home” has an unclear relationship between its phrases. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are inconsistent throughout. Practise building shorter, complete sentences first, then combine ideas using controlled subordinate clauses. Review verb patterns, articles and prepositions, and proofread punctuation.

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