Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-07-26

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 6.5)

Nowadays, technology is improving faster than we think. Similar situation is faced by many countries that they have to choose between upgrading the current public transport or build the new ones. In my opinion, a country cannot abandon all the running trains. Rather, they should improve the current trains. However, the old tracks that are totally incompatible with the latest fast trains they can be either trashed or completely recycled.

Furthermore, a city always need more number of means of public transport. The better the public transport is, the lesser public will use their private vehicles. The means of commute which are old enough to be upgraded to advanced systems should be removed and the new system should be constructed to adapt to new innovation and technologies. This not only saves time but lesser private vehicle reduces the overall pollution in the eco-system.

However, it can be debated that improving the existing commute like buses, trains, metro and subways can be much more cost efficient. Not the entire system needs to be rebuilt, only few parts are either added or replaced with the newer ones. In addition to this, improving the present time transportation is also less time consuming. As it does not need an entire construction, it takes lesser time to upgrade and renovate the existing routes. Hence, improvement is faster and cost effective compared to constructing from scratch.

In my opinion, building more means are always beneficial. However, it should be completely the government's decision according to the need of the time. If there are railway lines, buses or any other means that can be upgraded it should not be trashed. Those means should also be improved. To conclude, more transport is always in favor of common public but the old or the current ones should not be trashed until it is completely incompatible to the new advancements. Rather, more work should be done to upgrade the existing public transport than building new ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument regarding cost-efficiency is mentioned in the third paragraph but lacks specific examples or deeper analysis to fully support the claim. The conclusion reiterates the main points but does not add significant depth. To reach a higher band, you should focus on providing more concrete examples, such as mentioning specific cities or the economic impact of high-speed rail versus local transit upgrades, to better support your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'However', and 'In addition to this' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'Similar situation is faced by many countries', which lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between paragraphs would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'incompatible', 'renovate', and 'cost-efficient'. However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'trashed' (which is too informal for an academic essay) and 'more number of means'. The vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and avoiding informal or repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the new ones', 'the common public') and subject-verb agreement ('a city always need'). Some sentences are also slightly awkward, such as 'the old tracks that are totally incompatible with the latest fast trains they can be either trashed'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help improve your score in this criterion.

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