Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-14

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 5.0)

In the different nations, individuals believe that to spend a large amount of money on introducing the new railway lines between different cities, while others people believe that finances ought to be spend on the existing transportation services. From my perspective, railways and public trasportation both are equally important for the growth of the economy.

The people who believe that build a railway lines is necessary between the two different cities. The major reason is that the people whose relatives are lived in different cities which is very far from their city. By train is convenient for them because they can travel from one district to another district within less time. Furthermore, railway lines also help the people to save more money instead of paying more fairs on public vehicles. For example, one person who work in lahore and there family lived in karachi, so train is very convenient for him to travel. As a result, the person can easily travel in less time with less fair.

On the other side, some people think that money utilize on improving existing public trasportation instead of introducing new railway lines. The major reason is that the existing vechiles are becoming very poor because from the years there are no innovation in these vechiles. For example, the old buses have a manual ticketing system and people are in trouble to get a ticket by their choice. when the government modernize their system as a result people can easily get a tickect before arriving the bus stop.

To sum up, some people consider that it is necessary to spend a larger part of money on the trains or make railway lines which connects a different cities, while others think that money ought to spend on existing transportation. I believe that both are crucial for economy and travelling for the people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on transportation funding and providing a clear, albeit concise, personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are presented regarding high-speed rail, such as reducing travel time and saving money on public fares, and improving existing vehicles like buses. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For example, the explanation of the Lahore to Karachi journey touches on the topic, but lacks deep elaboration or fully realized supporting evidence. While the position is evident throughout, the arguments would benefit from greater extension and precision to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed adequately and meets the requirements of Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear four-paragraph structure comprising an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, cohesion at the sentence level is often mechanical and faulty, with several awkward transitions like 'The people who believe that build a railway lines' and 'some people think that money utilize on'. Referencing and logical progression are occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and missing grammatical links. For instance, the transition between sentences in the second body paragraph feels abrupt. While the essay is readable and follows a logical path, the limitations in cohesive devices and referencing keep it firmly within Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully communicating everyday ideas related to transport and infrastructure. Words like 'transportation', 'infrastructure', and 'modernize' are used correctly. However, there are numerous inappropriate word choices, awkward collocations, and morphological errors throughout the text, such as 'public trasportation' (spelling), 'fairs' instead of fares, 'spend' instead of spent, and 'vechiles' instead of vehicles. Less common vocabulary items are attempted but generally misused or inaccurate, such as 'innovation in these vechiles'. These lexical errors occasionally strain the reader, aligning the response with Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, attempting structures like conditional and relative clauses (e.g., 'the people whose relatives are lived in different cities'). However, control over grammar is weak, resulting in frequent non-systematic errors that often impede understanding. Examples include major structural fragments and ungrammatical clauses such as 'the people who believe that build a railway lines is necessary' and 'money utilize on improving'. Punctuation is also problematic in places, particularly with run-on sentences and missed capitalization. Because simple sentences are generally more accurate while complex attempts frequently fail due to faulty grammar, the response earns a Band 5.

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