Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-30
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 this modern era,it is believed by few individuals in different nations that railway development is mandatory so the large amount of money should be devote towards new construction,while other argues that income should be spend on public vehicles to improve their condition.This essay will discuss both point of view as there are few points towards the stands which i elaborate in upcoming paragraphs.
On the first side,people stand with their notion as railway services is highly prefer by individuals to travel from one place to another.the main reason of preferring is that it is mostly government funded and provided affordability and saves a great amount of time.Hence, countries are stand towards to innovate new railway lines soh that it alleviate the rush of train and provide more stability to people in form of travelling.For example,a new railway lines allow more trains to travel in a very less time.Moreover, there is high chance that new railway lines allows new connection of different cities that is not possible in past.It empower the metro trains to work in a flow.
On the contrary side,people believe that vehicles condition should be improved as they provide comfort and ambitious feeling to users.If the money is used for renovation then there is high chance that vehicles like train and buses condition are become far better and used for a long period of time.for instance,the train are highly improved on daily basis hence they are not requirement of new trains over the time. Furthermore, reparing of old machines reduces the cost to buy new material and done in one third amount of new transport.As a result government saves a great amount of money by only improving the conditions.
To conclude, these statement has highly positive impacts on nation in different approaches as there are reasons behind which i explained in paragraphs.i personally felt that improving condition became the first priority as it is more convenient for society
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 conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument for new railway lines is repetitive, focusing mainly on 'time' and 'speed' without exploring broader economic or environmental impacts. Similarly, the argument for improving existing transport is slightly underdeveloped, relying on general statements about 'comfort' and 'cost'. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, concrete examples or deeper analysis to support your claims, rather than repeating similar points in different ways.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'On the first side' and 'On the contrary side' are not standard academic transitions. Additionally, there are issues with referencing and flow; for example, the transition between sentences within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt. While the overall progression is logical, the lack of sophisticated linking words and occasional awkward phrasing prevent the essay from achieving a higher score in this criterion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'devote towards new construction' instead of 'allocated to new construction' and 'ambitious feeling' when referring to public transport comfort. Some collocations are also unnatural, such as 'countries are stand towards to innovate'. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations and using more precise academic vocabulary rather than relying on basic, sometimes misused, descriptive terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('the train are highly improved'), incorrect article usage, and punctuation errors (missing spaces after commas and periods). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction are noticeable. To improve, you should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing auxiliary verbs or prepositions.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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