Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-11

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)

while some people argue that in many nations, its is need to invest huge funds on building new railways in order to make travelling more fast as well as easy. other put forward their opinion that , instead of spending money on new railways , invest in existing public transport is far better. In my opinion , public authorities ought to invest in existing infrastructure or public transport .

One side of the arguments , some people believe that spending on new railways is remarkable for society. the most compelling reason for believing this is that huge population effect daily travelling as there are over 8 billion people on earth some of them have to travel for their work on daily basis it would lead to make travelling difficult . for example, in Mumbai, many people travel by metro so there is huge rush on railways during mornings as well as nights . in addition to this , it would help people travelling more fastest as compare to past decades when new railways build in nation then people can easily travel by them there is no need to wait because if new stations build then number of trains run at same time . for instance , in Japan, individual mainly prefer trains because there trains are very punctual and fastest . hence , some people believe that investing in new railways might be better .

despite the above argument , i am of the view that government should invest funds in existing public vehicles rather than spend on new . the main reason behind that is new investment might leads to slow economic growth as new stations are build . however, old transportation remain same it might effect economic development of country .moreover , rather than spending on new railways public authorities should spend on education , school, infrastructure and hospitals. to illustrate , in many nations , government mainly spend on education or hospital which is far better than invest in constructing new railways .hence, in many opinion , public authorities ought to spend on existing public transport.

in conclusion , although both views commonly held in society .

i believe that , instead of investing huge funds on new railways government spends on existing public transport because it leads to high economic growth , investment in other things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While the points regarding population growth and economic trade-offs are relevant, the explanation is often repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the argument about Japan is mentioned but not fully linked to the broader economic implications of high-speed rail. The conclusion is also underdeveloped, failing to fully synthesize the points made in the body paragraphs. To improve, ensure that each supporting example is explicitly connected to the main argument to provide a more comprehensive discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is frequently interrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. While cohesive devices like 'in addition to this' and 'despite the above argument' are used, they are sometimes applied incorrectly or in a way that feels forced. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the sentence structure is fragmented. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There is a reliance on basic terms like 'huge', 'better', and 'spend'. Some word choices are inaccurate, such as 'travelling more fastest' instead of 'faster' and 'remarkable for society' where 'beneficial' would be more appropriate. There are also issues with collocations, such as 'new railways build in nation'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated vocabulary and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical context.

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 readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('new stations are build'), article usage ('in many nations'), and tense consistency. Punctuation is also problematic, with many sentences lacking proper structure or containing unnecessary commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors would be highly beneficial.

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.