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)

In developed countries, people usually prefer public transports over private vehicles due to there lots of convenience. The citizens' of some states prefer to utilize huge amount of cashes for the development of rail lines and other suggest the national budgets should be properly applied for bringing improvement in current public transportations. The essay is going to describe both viewpoints and according to my consideration government of a country should spend more money on its existing public vehicles because these will help to reduce pollutions and traffic conjustion.

Many developed countries have good train services and citizens are fond of riding on that transport. Because these trains are faster than other transport and within a few moments people reach their destination. Moreover, those coutries have a huge amount of electric sources and they are very technologically advanced but sometimes due to technical errors or breakage of raillines sometimes fail to provide services. For an example, Japan has the fastest train on the earth and for contruction and maintainance they have to spend lots pile of money from their nation budgets.

Another important should be noted that, public transports are all available across the world. They are vey useful because people have to consider few cashes and encourage people to use less private vehicles. In addition, they are really demanding and preferable during when cost of gases are risen and their services are available all over the country. For instance, the BRTC transportaions council provide vehicles where civilans have to pay fair price and service are quite good.

In conclusion, it can be assumed that, the authorities of countries should be focused on public transportation services rather than extending train stations because it will be helpful for thje environment and the roads will be traffic free. Overall, citizen's must give importance to extending public vehicles rather than rail line for the betterment and convience of their llife.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear preference for improving existing public transport, and you give relevant reasons, including reducing pollution and traffic congestion. You also discuss investment in fast railways, using Japan as an example, so both views are addressed. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the fast-train paragraph mainly says these trains are quick and costly, without explaining in detail why that investment is worthwhile or who benefits. The case for existing transport is also broad, and the BRTC example is not clearly connected to the comparison between upgrading current services and building new lines. Develop each side with a specific explanation and a more directly relevant example, while keeping your position clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. This helps readers identify your main position. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and some linking is mechanical or inaccurate. For example, “Because these trains are faster” is left as a sentence fragment, while “Another important should be noted that” does not clearly introduce the next point. The conclusion repeats the preference for public transport rather than drawing together the comparison. Use clear topic sentences, connect each example explicitly to its supporting idea, and check that reference words such as “they” have an unmistakable meaning. These changes would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt topic-related vocabulary such as “national budgets,” “technical errors,” “private vehicles,” and “traffic congestion,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “public transportations,” “huge amount of cashes,” “cost of gases,” and “traffic conjustion”; these are not natural forms in this context. There are also misspellings such as “coutries,” “maintainance,” and “convenience.” Aim for accurate, natural phrases rather than adding more ambitious vocabulary: for example, use “public transport,” “a large sum of money,” and “fuel prices.” Proofreading spelling and checking common collocations would improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a reason clause beginning “because” and a contrast introduced by “but.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “The citizens' of some states prefer to utilize…” has incorrect sentence construction, and “sometimes due to technical errors or breakage of raillines sometimes fail to provide services” lacks a clear subject and has awkward clause structure. Agreement and article use are also inconsistent, as in “service are quite good” and “the authorities of countries.” Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement, articles, and punctuation before submitting.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.