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 widely believed that the innovative railway insfrastructure should be developed through considerable investment, which will allow the bullet trains to operate between different cities. However, some people argue that investement should be made to upgrade the existing public transport infrastructure to facilitate the people. I believe that more viable solution is to modify the existing public transport facilities.

On the one hand, improving the existing public transport facilities would be less time consuming and cost-effective, especially in the developing countries where cost is considered a prime factor in the development. One of the reason is that maintainance, repair and modification of the existing public transport facilities would relatively take less time and cost to complete than constructing an entirely new infrastructure. It would not disrupt the daily operations to a greater extent as it can be done phase wise. For example, few buses and train compartments may be grounded for upgradation and rest remain in operation. Once the modifications complete, they may be made to operate and rest can grounded for maintainance.

On the other hand, building new railway lines would demand mega-scale project planning and investment, which is not commonly available in many developing countries. This is because in many developing countries, technology and its associated study is outdated and they are not capable of doing it. Hiring a foreign consultant would further require investment on the cost of their other development packages. For example, Pakistan has not built its new railway lines because of lack of knowledge and investment.

In conclusion, investment on upgrading existing facilities is viable and cost effective solution, while building new ones requires investment which is not good.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear preference for improving existing transport, both in the introduction and conclusion, and you discuss the two options in separate body paragraphs. The points about cost, disruption to services, and the expertise needed for new rail lines are relevant. However, the discussion is uneven: the case for upgrading is supported with a practical example, while the argument for high-speed rail is not really explored. The Pakistan example asserts that new lines have not been built because of limited knowledge and investment, but does not explain the potential benefits of such lines or provide supporting detail. Develop both sides more fully and make the comparison explicit so that the response addresses the discussion task more completely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: 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 structure. Within paragraphs, however, some links are mechanical, and the reasoning does not always progress smoothly. For instance, the first body paragraph moves from cost and time to phased work, but the example’s sequence (“Once the modifications complete…”) is difficult to follow. The second paragraph also shifts from project costs to outdated technology without clearly connecting these points. Use clearer references and transitions between claims, and organise each paragraph around a more explicit chain of reasoning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “public transport facilities,” “investment,” “infrastructure,” and “development,” and some formal phrasing suits an academic essay. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural combinations are noticeable, including “insfrastructure,” “investement,” “maintainance,” “mega-scale project planning,” and “made to operate.” Repetition of “investment,” “facilities,” and “developing countries” also limits flexibility. These choices generally leave the main meaning understandable, but they reduce precision and sometimes make the argument less natural. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for transport and infrastructure; vary repeated terms only when the alternative is accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which will allow the bullet trains to operate” and a conditional structure in “especially in the developing countries where cost is considered a prime factor.” The main ideas are usually understandable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms occur across the response. Examples include “One of the reason is” (number agreement), “Once the modifications complete” (missing verb), and “rest can grounded” (missing auxiliary and incorrect verb form). The final sentence also needs an article and a clearer grammatical structure: “a viable and cost-effective solution.” Review agreement, articles, and auxiliary verbs, then proofread each sentence to improve accuracy while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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

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