Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-13

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 6.0)

Use of public transport has become extremely important method of travelling nowadays. Many people from all over the world beleive that it is compulsory to use large amount of money to build new railway tracks for high-speed trains between various towns. Few think that more funds should be allocated for betterment of the already available urban transport services. In my opinion, there should be a balance between both ideas.

The reason for the idea of new railway networks is that bullet trains are more convenient and take less time. Such trains provide better travelling experience with no noise. This way of transport is essential for people with busy schedule. New rail routes should be constructed so that journey to diifferent cities should be made possible with less uptake of time. Moreover, trains can carry a large number of indivduals than other public transport vehicles such as buses etc. For instance, in Japan, bullet trains exist in all cities and major proportion of its population travel on trains. That is why, I think it is a great idea to make new railway lines.

However, the thought of spending a major part of GDP to improve other methods of mass transit. Many people prefer using buses to go from one place to other within a city. People especially students and job holders take buses and other transportation services to go to schools and offices. They find it easily accessible and less costly. For this reason, many beleive that a large amount of money is spent to better these methods. For example, in a survey in New York, it was found that people with jobs travel on buses rather than trains due to their routes to the required places.Thus, I am in favour of this idea also.

In conclusion, a balanced approach should be used and new railways for bullet trains and improvement of other transport should be carried out.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear position: “there should be a balance between both ideas.” The paragraphs give relevant reasons, including the speed and capacity of high-speed trains and the affordability and accessibility of buses. The Japan and New York examples also help illustrate your points. However, some claims are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the claim that bullet trains exist “in all cities” in Japan is broad, and the link between their capacity and the case for building new lines could be developed further. The case for improving existing transport is also less fully supported than the case for new railways. Explain more precisely how investment in each option benefits different groups and why a balanced allocation is preferable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion that returns to your position. Ideas generally progress logically, and signposts such as “However,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion” make the discussion easy to follow. This meets the expected level of coherent organisation, with some features of stronger progression. At times, though, links feel mechanical or the reference is unclear. “For this reason” does not clearly show how the preceding points establish that a large amount should be spent, while “this idea also” is vague. The second body paragraph also begins with a sentence fragment (“However, the thought of spending…”). Use complete topic sentences and make each linking phrase express the precise relationship between the ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “high-speed trains,” “railway networks,” “mass transit,” and “urban transport services.” Some less common expressions, such as “allocated” and “accessible,” show an effort to vary your language, and the intended meaning is generally clear. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “compulsory to use large amount of money,” “less uptake of time,” and “betterment of” do not express the ideas naturally. There are also spelling errors, including “beleive,” “diifferent,” and “indivduals.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision. Prefer standard transport collocations and proofread spelling; for example, say “invest heavily in” and “reduce journey times.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “so that,” “because,” and “that.” Most ideas remain understandable, and the sentence “Many people prefer using buses to go from one place to other within a city” shows an attempt to express a general pattern. Some grammatical errors persist, however. The opening needs an article (“an extremely important method”), and “The thought of spending a major part of GDP…” is a fragment without a main verb. In “a large number of individuals than other public transport vehicles,” the comparison is not grammatically parallel. There are also punctuation and spacing issues, such as the missing space after “places.” Aim to check articles, complete sentence structure, and comparisons while retaining your varied sentence forms.

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