Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-03
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 their residents believe that new railway lines should be installed while other asked money should be spent to improve existing public transport. Spending money on railway in today's world instead of public transport should be wastage. In my opinion money should be spent to make public transport more efficient and reliable.
In today's world every one is very busy. They work in different points in a city. So they have to reach their office in time. For this purpose they use bus or go by their own vechiles. These are the best options for them to reach their office quickly. Also public transport is used by many locals when they want to travel a short distance like they travel to market by bus or other places. So that's why money should be spent on public transport as it is the biggest need. Government should add more buses to public transport and also they should spent money to make public transport more comfortable.
On other hand, trains are used to travel a very long distance. It would be not helpful to a person who wants to go office or for a person who's destination is market. Also trains are usually very late and you have to go station before time. The tickets of train are also very expensive. Trains left you on a station from where you have to book a taxi to reach your destination. So spending money on railway is wastage. As its benefits are very less as compare to public transport.
In conclusion, Government should invest more money in public transport instead of railway as public transport provide far more benefits than trains.
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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The arguments regarding public transport are repetitive, focusing primarily on daily commuting, while the discussion on high-speed rail is rather simplistic and relies on generalizations, such as claiming trains are 'usually very late' or 'expensive' without nuance. To reach a higher band, you should provide more balanced, sophisticated reasoning that explores the broader economic or environmental implications of both options rather than focusing solely on personal convenience.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic attempt at using cohesive devices like 'In today's world', 'Also', and 'On other hand'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of cohesive devices is repetitive. For instance, the transition 'So that's why' is informal and slightly awkward. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., using pronouns to refer back to previous ideas) is more precise would help the essay achieve a more natural, fluid progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'money', 'spend', and 'big'. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Trains left you on a station' (should be 'drop you off') and 'very less' (should be 'far fewer'). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning, infrastructure, and transportation systems, and focus on using more precise collocations to express your ideas more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Trains left you'), missing articles (e.g., 'go office'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'other asked money'). Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentences are slightly disjointed. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on consistent verb tense usage and correct article placement will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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