Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-31

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)

The question of whether governments should allocate a large amount of money to build new railways or minimize cost by repairing existing transportation has become a common issue. While, many individuals believe that the government should install new railways to connect cities , others argue that the goverments should immediately repair the existing transport. Both perspectives are vaild but I believe that installing new railways is better approach as it will reduce commute expenditure and carbon emission.

Many people support the view that government should allocate budget for fixing public transports over constructing new one, this is mainly because this approach brings immediate solution for citizens. When a government takes initiatives to repair roads that have become inaccessiable, it requires small amount money and time to reuse again. As result, people can go to their work without waiting for a long period of time. Additionally, repairing roads less pollute the air which keep the environment clean. For example, developing country like Bangladesh repair holes of the roads and fix railway problems which save a massive amount money and time. Without fixing existing roads, passing projects for new one can bring dissatisfaction among citizens of a country as it take longer time.

On the other hand, people support that governments should construct new railways in order to add fast trains in the cities to reduce commute costs. Constructing a new railway requires a good amount of money, however once it constructed there will be lot of advantages. Trains require low fuel to run which reduces significant commute costs. Moreover, it produces low level carboon emission which is also beneficial for city dwellers. Furthermore, installing new trainways in the city will considerably eliminate traffic congestion. For example, Germany has constructed effective trains networks amongs cities, reducing transportation cost and low carbon emission.

In conclusion, although rapairing roads require less time and money, I believe that installing new railways brings more advantages for the citizens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the focus on cost-efficiency and environmental impact. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the arguments for repairing existing infrastructure are supported with an example from Bangladesh, the explanation of why new railways are superior could be more deeply explored beyond general statements about fuel and congestion. The position is consistent throughout, but the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6.0 or 6.5 response, as some points remain slightly superficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Additionally', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Once it constructed there will be lot of advantages', which impacts the overall smoothness of the text. Overall, the structure is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'allocate budget', 'commute expenditure', and 'traffic congestion'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor spelling errors, such as 'vaild' instead of 'valid', 'inaccessiable' instead of 'inaccessible', 'carboon' instead of 'carbon', and 'trainways' instead of 'railway networks'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score. A wider range of sophisticated vocabulary would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a massive amount money'), verb forms ('once it constructed'), and subject-verb agreement ('repairing roads less pollute the air'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some issues with comma placement. Despite these errors, the meaning is consistently clear, and the errors do not cause significant difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining complex sentence construction.

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

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