Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In my countries, there is an ongoing debate between wether government should spend substantial amount of money on constructing new railway lines for higher-speed transport between cities. While other argue that this money should spend on improving existing public transportation system. Both approaches having their own benefits but in my opinion priority should be given to improving the existing public transport.

On the one hand, there are several reasons on spending substantial amount of money on railway lines. Firstly, construction of raliway lines is very favourable way of reaching to other cities in a short time period. Because they are less time consuming also favourable for environment. For instance, business men who has to travel daily to other cities for work can easily cover their long distance and also it is very advantageous for environmet by reducing number of cars on road which can reduce air pollution.

On the other hand, many community members argue that government should spend money on quality of existing public transport. One major reason is many people travel on local buses for daily journey so, government should spend on new buses, focus on bus stations and quality of seats for daily users will be more convinient and favourable for the society as whole.

In conclusion, many people believe that government should spend money on constructing new railway lines which is beneficial for moving to other cities while other argue that states should give priority to improving existing public transport. In my opinion they should focus on quality of public transportaion system which is used daily by local people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear preference for improving existing public transport, especially in the introduction and conclusion. The discussion of faster rail links includes relevant benefits—shorter journeys and fewer cars—but the example about business travellers is only briefly explained. The case for improving local services is also relevant, with buses, stations and seating mentioned, though it would be stronger if you explained how these improvements benefit a wider range of users or gave a specific example. The response therefore covers the task, but the two sides are not developed equally or in much depth. To strengthen it, explain the consequences of each investment choice and support your opinion with a more specific reason. The length requirement is met; eight words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion that restates your position. The signposts “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” make the contrast easy to follow, and the ideas generally progress in a logical order. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some features of stronger organisation. However, connections within sentences are occasionally awkward, as in “Firstly… Because they are less time consuming,” where the second fragment does not link smoothly to the first. The conclusion also repeats much of the introduction rather than drawing the discussion together. Use complete, connected sentences and clearer references between claims and examples; vary the linking language so the structure feels less formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “railway lines,” “public transportation,” “air pollution” and “daily users.” There are also attempts at more formal wording, such as “substantial amount” and “priority should be given.” However, inaccurate spelling and word choice are noticeable and sometimes make the phrasing less natural: “wether,” “raliway,” “environmet” and “convinient” are examples. Some collocations are also awkward, including “favourable way of reaching to other cities” and “spend on quality.” These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your argument, but the range and control remain limited. Check spelling carefully and learn common combinations such as “invest in improving services” and “travel between cities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “While…” and a reason introduced by “One major reason is…”. The main message remains understandable, but errors in sentence construction and verb forms occur across the response. For example, “Both approaches having their own benefits” needs a finite verb, while “this money should spend” is missing a passive auxiliary. In “business men who has to travel,” the verb does not agree with its plural subject, and “many people travel… so, government should spend” has an awkwardly joined clause. Articles and punctuation also need attention. Practise building accurate complete sentences first, then add subordinate clauses; review passive forms, subject–verb agreement and comma use.

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.