Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-19
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)
Nowadays, there has been ongoing debate, many individuals believe that government should spend large amount of money for construction of new railway lines and development of railway industry, while others counter this with debating about that large amount of money should be spent on existing public transport. Both the views and my opinion are discussed further.
It is undebatable that railway industry has provided cheap and fast transportation from decades. In addition to that if government continues to invest in railway lines and infrastructure it will eventually help citizen of country. Moreover, by travelling in rail many consequences can be avoided such as air pollution, if a group of people travel together by rail then many harmful gases can avoid which extract from cars. Furthermore, railways are also cheaper than taxi or buses so many financial benefits can be taken from it.
Nevertheless, railways are faster and cheaper but road transportation have its own benefits. First, many people prefer to be fit and healthy so they like to go by cycling or walking to their desire destination. Second, many individuals find it difficult to travel in rails because railways cannot reach to other personalised location so they have to take public transportation or walk to it. Which cost them higher can taxi or buses.
In my opinion governments should spend more on pedestrian and road infrastructure because its helpful for local people and it also shows the development of country. However railways are important but major funds can be used for public transportation.
To conclude, railway do plays a vital role in our transportation but large amount of money should be spent on road infrastructure and public transport.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding air pollution is slightly confused, as the text mentions 'many harmful gases can avoid which extract from cars' rather than explaining the reduction of emissions. The discussion on existing public transport is also slightly tangential, focusing heavily on walking and cycling rather than the improvement of buses or trams. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, well-developed examples for both sides of the argument and ensure your reasoning is logically sound and directly addresses the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'In addition to that', 'Moreover', 'Nevertheless', and 'To conclude' to link your points. However, some of these transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is slightly disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Both the views and my opinion are discussed further'. The referencing is generally clear, but the connection between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall readability and cohesion of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'large amount of money' and 'cheap and fast', which are repeated. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'personalised location' (instead of 'specific destination') and 'railway do plays a vital role' (grammatical error affecting lexical accuracy). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to urban planning and infrastructure, and focus on using words in their correct collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'many individuals believe that government should spend' (missing article 'the'), 'railway do plays a vital role' (incorrect verb form), and 'Which cost them higher can taxi or buses' (fragmented sentence and incorrect comparative structure). While the meaning is generally understandable, these recurring errors in articles, subject-verb agreement, and sentence construction prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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