Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
In many countries, the authority usually face some problem decide to spent large sums of money on either new railways lines for fast trains, or improving existing public transport. But from my opinion, i think that the government should have a balanced approach on both transportation.
By investing money in high speed railways for train, it is argueable that it will reduce alot of time traveling between cities. This will boost economic growth by connecting marketplace, and also improve air quality since high speed train will produce slightly less carbon dioxide than personal transport like car or motorbike. Not only that, it will provide people with more comfort and will be an excellent way of transport for long distance travels.
On other hand, many people believe that large sums of money should be spent to improve already existing public transport. Mostly because most urban population often rely on buses, trams, and underground trains, by investing in these public transport, it can give immediate benefits. Like being very cost-effective in the short term and directly solves the need of daily commuters, improving overalls quality of life in dense population areas. Also it will reduce overcrowding in huge cities and improve accessibility to all of the places in the society
In conclusion, both ways offer valuable benefits, for addressing immediate urbans challenges, the authority should choose to enhance the quality of already existing public transport, and later in the future, it will set the stage for advanced rails for high speed train development.
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 sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction. The ideas are relevant, such as economic growth for high-speed rail and cost-effectiveness for existing public transport. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding air quality is a bit generic, and the conclusion is slightly rushed. While the task is addressed, the ideas could be extended with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The position is consistent throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'By investing money', 'On other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Mostly because most urban population often rely on buses'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved to sound more natural. Overall, the logical progression is sufficient to follow the writer's argument without difficulty.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are some repetitive phrases like 'large sums of money' and 'public transport'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'connecting marketplace' (should be 'markets') and 'advanced rails' (should be 'rail infrastructure'). While the meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common or idiomatic language. Improving collocation and using more precise terminology would enhance the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('the authority usually face'), article usage ('the need of daily commuters'), and awkward phrasing ('it is argueable that it will reduce alot of time'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in sentence construction. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and refining complex sentence structures to ensure they are error-free.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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