Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-27
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)
Both point of veiws are considerable as some people think it is crucial to spend huge money on constructing new railway lines for steady trains across the cities while some people intend to spent money on improving existing public transport.
According to the first perspective sufficient citizens have idea that it is necessary to alot high sums of cash on making new railway lines for high speed trains between cities. Railways commonly discover the path across many cities they connect them and pleasent to have a journey. Railway lines are basically made in past with oldage instruments and materials. Railway lines have a history now it becomes our tradition we should take care of it and encourage the government and local organizations to involve and pursue the conservation of new railway lines
On the other hand, second thinking is good at it's place public transportation is also a pitfull part of our society it facilitates the locals and visitors. Local transportation like tramp and buses which are run inside the city and usually it is free for citizens total cost of it is beared by government or municipal commeties.The situation of transport inside the city is questionable it has less facilities and opportunities for the loca residents. So, the some amount of money also spend on it.
In my perspective bulk amount should be spend on building the new railway lines. For example by giving my experience when i have to go from one city to another city for my personal work i firstly prefer local vehicles to reached at train station then i booked the train tickets for my destination. The conditions of train was so awfull i felt so bad the trains needed so much conservations then i thought that local organization and government should take initiative for it's betterment.
In conclusion, both advices are correct and considerable for the welfare of people of city and country .It has a positive impact on the foreigners and visitors.
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 personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The arguments for new railway lines are somewhat confused, focusing on 'tradition' and 'conservation' rather than the economic or efficiency benefits typically associated with high-speed rail. The personal example provided in the third paragraph is slightly contradictory, as it describes a negative experience with existing trains to support an argument for building new lines, which lacks logical clarity. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments need more depth and relevance to the prompt's focus on infrastructure investment.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression between and within them is often weak. Transitions are sometimes mechanical or misused, such as 'According to the first perspective' or 'second thinking is good at it's place'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of the argument. While the essay has a clear introduction and conclusion, the internal structure of the body paragraphs lacks the necessary cohesive devices to link ideas smoothly, resulting in a somewhat disjointed reading experience.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is limited and often imprecise. There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'steady trains' (likely meaning high-speed), 'alot high sums of cash' (allot/allocate), 'pitfull part' (pivotal), and 'oldage instruments'. Some phrases are non-standard, such as 'questionable' to describe transport facilities. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of precision and the presence of spelling errors (e.g., 'veiws', 'pleasent', 'awfull') indicate a restricted lexical range that struggles to express complex ideas effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are attempts at complex sentences, they are often marred by grammatical errors, such as 'Railways commonly discover the path across many cities they connect them and pleasent to have a journey.' Subject-verb agreement, article usage, and prepositional errors are frequent (e.g., 'the some amount of money also spend on it'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement and capitalization. These errors occur throughout the text and occasionally cause the reader to pause, though they do not completely prevent understanding.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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