Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-14

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 5.0)

It is often debated whether it is necessary to spend large amount of money on building new railway lines for very fast trains between cities or whether the money should spent on developing existing public transport. Although both approaches have their merits, I believe that money should spend on constructing new railway lines.

On the one hand, some people believe that money should spend to improve existing public transport. The main reason is that most of the existing public transport are damaged by public. Public transport are used by many people everyday and the damage caused by them was very high. As it is a public transport, many people don't think to maintain it. Although goverment workers maintained, it can't reduce the damage caused by public. people are causing damage to public transport in purpose or not in purpose. For example, children draw picture on public transport and can't erase it. Also people who drop gabage on the public trnasport. For these reason, it is important to maintain the public transport whick the workers are needed. To hire them, the large sums of money are needed as there are so many public transport. As a result, money should spend to maintain and improve existing transport.

On the other hand, others argue that it is necessary to spend large amount of money on construcitng newrailway lines for fast trains between cities. This is because many regions such as small villages or towns don't have transport. Although big cities have developed several kinds of public transport, small towns are still difficult to transport to other places. This result the difficult situations for people in there. For instance, if a person faced with health problems, the lack of public transport can cause danger to him. So that, large sums of money should spend on building new railway lines between cities. With very fast railway lines, people can go wherever they want and the oney spend on this will so u

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both proposed uses of funding and state a clear preference for new railway lines in the introduction, so the response is relevant to the task. However, the discussion is only partially developed. The case for improving existing transport focuses mainly on damage and maintenance, rather than explaining broader benefits such as reliability or access for current passengers. The argument for new lines raises access for small towns and a health-related example, but does not explain how very fast intercity trains would serve these places or why this is preferable to improving local services. The final sentence is unfinished, leaving your opinion without a complete conclusion. Develop each view with clearer reasoning and finish by summarising your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and linking phrases such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand.” This helps the reader identify the two sides. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven, and several points repeat the idea that public transport is damaged or needs maintenance. Some links are unclear, as in “This result the difficult situations for people in there,” and the final paragraph ends abruptly with “so u,” disrupting the overall flow. Use a clearer sequence of claim, explanation, and example in each paragraph, and ensure that references such as “this” have an unmistakable meaning. A complete conclusion would also give the essay a more coherent ending.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main subject, including “public transport,” “railway lines,” “maintain,” and “health problems.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, particularly “large sums of money,” “public transport,” and “damage.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including “goverment,” “gabage,” “trnasport,” “construcitng,” and “oney.” Some phrases are difficult to interpret, such as “people are causing damage to public transport in purpose or not in purpose.” These errors sometimes slow the reader’s understanding. Build a more precise set of transport-related expressions and check spelling carefully; for example, distinguish between maintaining existing services and expanding transport networks.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Although” and “For example,” but control is inconsistent. Frequent errors affect basic sentence patterns and can make meaning difficult to follow: “the money should spent” needs a passive verb form, while “most of the existing public transport are damaged” has an agreement problem. Other examples include “This result the difficult situations” and “the oney spend on this will so u,” where the sentence structure is incomplete or faulty. Articles and plural forms also need attention, as in “large amount of money” and “many public transport.” Practise accurate passive constructions and subject–verb agreement, then proofread each sentence for a complete verb and clear punctuation.

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