Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

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

On the one hand, some people believe that money should be spent to improve exisiting public transport. The main reasin is that most of the existing public transport is damaged by the public. Public transport is used by many people every day and the damage caused by them were very high. As it is public transport, many people don't think about maintaining it. Although government workers maintain, they can't reduce the damage caused by public. People are causing damage to public transport on purpose or not on purpose. For example, children draw pictures on public transport that can't be erased. Also, people drop garbage on the public trnasport. For these reasons, it it important to maintain the public transport, which workers are needed. To hire them, large sums of money is needed as there are so many public transport vehicles. As a result, money should be spent to maintain and improve and improve existing transport.

On the other hand, others argue that it is necessary to spend a large amount of money on constructing new railway lines for fast trains between cities. This is because many regions such as small villages or towns don't have public transport. Although big cities have developed several kinds of public transport, small towns don't have enough vehicles to travel to other places. This results in difficult situations for people there. For instance, if a person is faced with health problems, the lack of public transport can cause danger to him. Therefore, large sums of money should be spent on building new railway lines between cities. I find this view more convincing because with very fast railway lines, people can go wherever they want and the money spend on this will so useful.

In conclusion, although some existing public transport should be developed, I believe that money should be spent more on constructing new railway lines between cities because it provides more opportunities to people who live in small towns. Moreover, it is essential to use the public transport more than improving the existing ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both proposed uses of funding and state a clear preference for new railway lines in the introduction and conclusion. The point that smaller towns may lack transport is relevant, and the health-problem example begins to show why access matters. However, the discussion of improving existing transport focuses mainly on damage, litter and maintenance rather than explaining how investment could improve services for passengers. The case for high-speed rail is also underdeveloped: the claim that people can “go wherever they want” is broad and does not explain the benefits of speed or links between cities. Develop each view with more specific consequences and support your opinion with a clearer comparison of who benefits and how. The length requirement is met; 17 words copied from the prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the main stages. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive or unclear. In the first body paragraph, the repeated points about damage and maintenance delay the central argument, and “For these reasons” does not lead smoothly to the claim about hiring workers. The conclusion also introduces the unclear statement that it is “essential to use the public transport more than improving the existing ones,” which weakens the final message. Group related points, use pronouns with clear references, and make each paragraph’s reasoning advance step by step.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the general discussion, including “railway lines,” “public transport,” “maintain,” and “regions.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, such as repeated use of “large sums of money” and “public transport.” Some word choices and collocations make the meaning awkward: “the damage caused by them were very high,” “public transport vehicles,” and “the money spend on this will so useful.” There are also spelling errors, including “exisiting,” “reasin,” and “trnasport,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise transport-related terms and check spelling and word forms carefully; for example, distinguish investment in infrastructure from routine maintenance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses introduced by “Although,” “because,” and “if.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, errors occur in both basic sentence patterns and more complex attempts. For example, “the damage caused by them were very high” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “the money spend on this will so useful” has errors in verb form and sentence construction. “To hire them, large sums of money is needed” also has an agreement error, and “it it important” contains an unnecessary repeated word. Review agreement, verb forms, and complete sentence patterns, then proofread for repeated words and punctuation. More accurate control of these structures would make your reasoning easier to follow.

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