Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-05

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)

Expenditures of large amount of money on the construction of new railways for fast train between cities can prove beneficial however it depends on that current situation.

Large amount of money can be used for construction for newer and advanced transport between cities which will greatly benefit the passengers in reducing their travel time preventing any type of delay which can take place while commuting on roads or flight delays and it also can be cost effective for many individuals. For instance, the flight fare from Kolkata to Hyderabad is priced at 10000, while it is much cheaper if travelled by train but takes 2 days before arriving at the destination which reduces the proportion of people travelling with train. Therefore a newer and advanced fast trains can reduce this time helping the passengers in the process.

This expenditure for construction of new railway lines may not be feasible for other cases but improvements in the existing public transport could genuinely help in the long run and also aids in saving funds which can be further used for acquisition of new machinery and technologies. For instance, the condition of transport or train coming from north east are undermaintained and uses old technologies which makes the travelling by train a challenge in itself. Improvements have been made by the railway departments and it benefitted to the passengers improving their condition of travel comfortable. This increases the amount of passengers that are likely to travel by train than flight.

In my opinion, it is better to spend large sums of money for establishments of newer infrastructure as in many cases, the developments of existing transports may prove more expensive than the installation of newer ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you provide examples, such as the train travel from Kolkata to Hyderabad, the explanation of why new infrastructure might be more cost-effective than upgrading existing systems is underdeveloped. The essay would benefit from more detailed reasoning regarding the long-term economic or social implications of these choices. The position is consistent, but the arguments lack the depth required for a higher band score, as some points are stated rather than fully explored.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a progression of ideas, though the transition between the two viewpoints could be smoother. You use some cohesive devices like 'For instance' and 'Therefore', but the range is somewhat limited, and some connections feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'infrastructure', 'expenditure', and 'acquisition'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'undermaintained' (which is not standard) and 'establishments of newer infrastructure' (where 'establishment' is not the most natural fit). To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to express complex ideas more fluently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the' before 'construction'), subject-verb agreement issues ('it benefitted to the passengers'), and awkward phrasing ('it depends on that current situation'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly regarding comma usage. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be highly beneficial.

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

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