Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-04
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 undeniable that public transportation become a pensive concern in this modern economy. In this regards, some people believe that it is necessary to spend a large sums of money on constructing new railway lines for very fast trains between cities while others think that the money should spend on improving existing public transport. This essay will outline not only both perspectives but also my opinion which is in favor of former point of view in forthcoming fragments with logical conclusion.
To commence with, those who deem that spend money on constructing new railway lines have their own reasons. The prime one is that trains are useful for fast travelling. To explain more, masses who loved to travel trains help them to cover long distance easily. To illustrate, this cut hours of long trip and used their precious trip to enjoy their trip without wasting time travelling by car. Secondly, these railway lines are helpful for business growth. To elaborate it, import and export of goods and services to different states leads to globalization. Moreover, adoption of this practice was essential to save time and also convenient to use.
Nonetheless, some think that government should spend money on improving existing public transport instead of adopting new railway system. First and foremost, they ought to spend money on buses. To explain it, now a days most youngsters face problems regarding reaching on time to their schools, colleges or to their works. Therefore, money should be spent on buses and also fixed travel cost. Moreover, buses should be comfortable and ought to be arrange especially for backward areas who didn't have railway or other facilities.
To conclude, although there are many benefits of spend money on existing public transport such as convenient and comfortable for local people and also affordable yet according to me it is necessary to spend large sums of money on constructing new railway lines for very fast trains between cities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding business growth is mentioned but not fully explored with concrete examples. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and does not fully synthesize the points discussed. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and specific, real-world examples to support your claims. The position is clear throughout, but the depth of analysis needs to be increased to fully satisfy the requirements of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Nonetheless', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, there are instances where the referencing is slightly unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the connection between 'masses' and the subsequent explanation could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a strong, unified focus will help improve the flow and coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are some awkward word choices, such as 'pensive concern' (likely meant 'pressing concern') and 'forthcoming fragments' (which is unnatural in this context). You rely on some basic vocabulary and occasionally struggle with collocations, such as 'spend money on constructing' vs 'spending money on construction'. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to transportation and infrastructure, and practice using these words in their correct grammatical forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'public transportation become a pensive concern' (subject-verb agreement), 'spend money on constructing' (should be 'spending'), and 'who didn't have railway' (tense inconsistency). While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are persistent. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, verb forms after prepositions, and consistent tense usage. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while ensuring they are error-free will significantly boost your score.
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.