Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-02

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)

Safe travel and reaching your destination on time is a major concern of most of the citizens thus people believe that it is essential to spend a substantial amount of money on building newer and modern railway tracks for faster trains between cities. Though I believe newer well planned railway tracks are necessary for a country's development, it is of foremost importance to make sure the current setup is up and running perfectly.

Existing public transport gets used by a substantial number of people in a city predominantly by the working class and the students studying from outside. An existing fault in the current transport system like faulty buses, unavailability of drivers, traffic overloads and lack of stops etc are issues that directly impact the lives of these people using the currently available public transport system. These people would want the current setup to be well taken care of before any new development.

On the other hand, faster travel is one of the major motivation of intercity business among people of different locations. Quicker access to goods that are manufactured in a different city gives any business a competitive advantage. Similarly, people who leave their home towns for work in a different location would yearn for such facilities to reach their homes on a whim like the bullet trains of Japan and China do.

In conclusion, both improvement of existing transport and the establishment of newer railway tracks is of paramount importance for the overall well being of a nation but I firmly believe that because the established transport system is currently directly impacting the lives of the people, any problem with it should be fixed with top priority and most of the effort should be exerted on keeping it up and running.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the focus on the working class and students for existing transport, and the economic benefits of high-speed rail. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on high-speed rail could be more deeply explored beyond the mention of business advantages and Japan/China. The position is consistent throughout, but the essay would benefit from more detailed supporting evidence or examples to fully flesh out the arguments, which would elevate the response to a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the second paragraph lists issues like 'faulty buses, unavailability of drivers, traffic overloads and lack of stops' which feels slightly like a list rather than a cohesive argument. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and allows for clear communication. There are some good collocations and phrases such as 'competitive advantage', 'paramount importance', and 'well-being of a nation'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'students studying from outside' (which is slightly awkward) and 'motivation of intercity business' (should be 'motivations for'). The range is sufficient for the task, but to reach a higher band, the student should aim for more precise and sophisticated vocabulary to express complex ideas with greater nuance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'Existing public transport gets used by a substantial number of people... predominantly by the working class and the students studying from outside' is a bit clunky. There are also minor punctuation and agreement issues, such as 'An existing fault... are issues' (subject-verb agreement). Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and the student demonstrates a reasonable command of sentence structure, including the use of complex sentences.

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

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