Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-08

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 the fast-forward world, people are attracted to the fastest travel rather than slower ones. Some advocate that the government should spend more money on the railways to connect two cities faster, while others advocate that money should be spent on public transportation like buses, subways, and trains too. In this essay, I will discuss both viewpoints and give my opinion.

Firstly, that rains conncets thwe two cities and give many benefits not just for the local people but also for students and employees. As the trains are faster and cheaper than any other transport, due to that gorverment can spend more money on them to help the public. For instance, when long travel does not take as long, every student can travel long distance that means no need to live alone, and they can complete their studies without leaving their hometown.

Secondly, in public transport, the government should also spend money, but maybe less than the railys, because public transport in cities is limited to the city area. While railways connect two cities, and due to that, many towns are going to be connected. Or public transport buses and subways are cheaper for working people. In daily routes, they use sabways for buses to go to the workplace, and many citizens use them for shot distance covering rather than privet vihicle foe autoriksha.

In my opinion, more money should be spent on the railways rather than improving existing public transport, because for short distances people can use they vhivles or transport systems like buses and subways, but for long distances they need faster and cheaper options, so railways are faster than buses or any other vehicles and it is cheaper as well as time-saving.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both viewpoints and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the argument for railways is supported by the idea of students not needing to leave their hometowns, but this point is not fully explored. The second paragraph regarding public transport is slightly confusing, as it suggests spending less money on it while simultaneously acknowledging its importance for daily city commutes. The conclusion restates the position, but the supporting arguments could be more sophisticated and better linked to the broader societal benefits of infrastructure investment to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In my opinion', which help guide the reader. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. There are instances where the flow between sentences is slightly disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between city transport and inter-city rail is abrupt. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be smoother to achieve a more cohesive structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'rains' instead of 'trains', 'conncets', 'thwe', 'gorverment', 'railys', 'sabways', 'shot', 'privet', 'vihicle', and 'autoriksha'. These errors are frequent and occasionally distract the reader. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'infrastructure' or 'public transportation', the range is limited, and the misuse of words like 'autoriksha' in a formal context indicates a need for more careful word choice and proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'that rains conncets'), incorrect word order, and missing articles. For example, 'due to that gorverment can spend' is grammatically awkward. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences that impede clarity. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band score.

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