Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-29

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 6.0)

It is often argued by many individuals that spending large amount of expenditure on manufacturing new railway lines is mandatory for very rapid trains between cities. However, opponents believe that money should be invested on renovating existing public transport. This essay will discuss both these points before i share my personal views regarding this argument.

As railways are considered to be time saving mode of transport as it is fastest among all other land transports, government should focus on building new railway lines in order to serve public of their nation. New railway lines will facilitate people in numerous ways as will save their precious time and will also lead to decline in pollution and accident rates because a number of people will use same transport.

On the contrary side, other public transports are also as important as railway lines because during the time of emergency railways are not appropriate to use as they are not available all the time and do not provide comfort as buses or cars do. Other public transports drop the passengers on their exact stoppage but railways drop them on stations only.

In my personal opinion, authority should focus on both these modes of transport because they both are very crucial and advantageous for the public and their use depends on the situation.

In conclusion, Other public transports are as important as the railways are so, government should spend money on both these facilities by keeping a notice on their advantages to the natives of their nation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is quite limited. For instance, the argument for high-speed rail is supported by general claims about time-saving and pollution, but lacks specific examples or deeper analysis. Similarly, the counter-argument regarding existing transport is somewhat superficial, focusing on the convenience of buses without exploring the economic or logistical trade-offs. To reach a higher band, you need to extend your arguments with more detailed explanations and concrete examples, rather than simply stating the benefits. The position is clear, but the overall depth of the discussion is restricted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'However', 'On the contrary side', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of cohesive devices is repetitive. For example, the transition 'On the contrary side' is slightly unnatural. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally weak, such as the vague use of 'they' in the second paragraph. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between ideas would enhance the overall coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on some repetitive phrasing, such as 'public transport' and 'railway lines'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'manufacturing new railway lines' (railways are constructed, not manufactured) and 'keeping a notice on their advantages'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or less common vocabulary limits the score. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and avoid repeating the same basic terms throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'spending large amount of expenditure' (redundant and grammatically incorrect), 'as it is fastest' (missing article 'the'), and 'serve public of their nation' (missing article 'the'). There are also issues with punctuation and capitalization, such as the lowercase 'i' when referring to yourself. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on article usage and subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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