Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-16

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)

There is a growing beleif that the construction of new railway lines and fast trains should between cities should be a financial priority and should be properly funded while some individuals might argue that the finances should be spent on improving the existing public transport. Although investing money in new railway projects is necessary it is also important to allocate funds to improve existing public transport services.

On the one hand, investments in new and upcoming railway projects is essentialy important as it helps improve travel efficiency and increases accessibility. Constructing new railway lines across places could provide acessibility to remote areas which lacks the availabity of regulated form of public transportation and installing faster trains helps reduce travel time. For example, A village without supervised public transportation would not have regular bus timings or proper maintainace of services, access to railway would help the village positively in growth and development by bringing transport and trade. Thus, funding in new railway projects would be worth the investment.

On the other hand, the allocation of funds for the improvement of existing public transport and services is fundamentally important as it will improve the quality of travel. It is an often overlooked fact that the presense of well maintained services could result in more people to prefer travel in a public transport. Therefore, the lack of proper services has always been a fundamental problem in transport which if improved upon could prove highly beneficial.

In my opinion, improving the existing public transport systems and services is as important as building new railway projects and thus the funds should be allocated accordingly preffering both.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on public transport funding and offering a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are adequately extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of a remote village lacking regular bus services and how railway access would foster growth and development. However, some arguments tend towards generalisation, and certain points lack deeper elaboration. For instance, the discussion on improving existing systems could be expanded with more concrete illustrations. Despite these minor limitations, the task is successfully completed, and the student's position remains consistent throughout, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors. Overall, the fulfillment of the task requirements is solid.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the two body paragraphs discussing opposing views, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Therefore' are employed to guide the reader through the arguments. However, referencing is occasionally slightly clunky or repetitive, such as the phrasing in the final sentence 'preffering both', which disrupts the flow. Additionally, some transitional links feel a bit mechanical. Nevertheless, the essay is coherent and easy to follow, satisfying the main requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 score range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student exhibits an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common items such as 'financial priority', 'regulated form of public transportation', and 'fundamental problem'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('beleif' instead of 'belief', 'accesibility', 'availabity', 'maintainace', 'presense', 'preffering') and minor word-choice or collocation inaccuracies ('funding in new railway projects', 'prefer travel in a public transport'). While these lexical slips and spelling mistakes do not impede overall communication, they prevent the response from achieving a higher band. The vocabulary deployed is minimally sufficient to convey the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures such as conditional and relative clauses ('A village without supervised public transportation would not have...'). However, the text contains several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including missing prepositions, subject-verb agreement issues ('areas which lacks'), and run-on tendencies in the opening sentence. Punctuation is also occasionally lacking, particularly around introductory phrases and clauses. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to keep the score at Band 6.0, as error-free sentences are not in the majority.

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

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