Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-17
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)
The world has been changed dramatically. particulray in transport ,in some of countries, some people think it is necessary to spend large sums of money on construckting new railway lines for every fast trains between cities. while some others argue that money should be spent on improving existing public transport.both viewa have their on merits. we dicusse both in coming eassy .
railways is the cheapest way to treval, everyone's know about that. and also produce less carbon incomparison with other vehicles. for example for 400km railways charges poox 1000 pkr in pakistan while others with almost double of it. if govt spent for building new railways that makes profit in future and then have a chance to spent on other factors such as health care and education .furthermore on other public transport too.
on the other hand govt need to improve or build where railways is'nt avaliable, such as rural or small cities. and for city to city railways play a vital role for economy in making profit and also sustainable . large proportion of people trevling on the same time with any traffic congestion.
in conclusion govt need to provides sustainable transport facilities such as railways and invest their large sums of money to construct it.while other are also important such as buses or mini vain in rural or semiurban areas. wheres train is not accessible for local residents. because nowadays the main environmental problem we all face is that air pollution which is produced by vehicles. we need to reduced this for our future genrations.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to discuss both views regarding spending money on high-speed rail versus improving existing public transport, and it presents a clear personal position supporting both balanced approaches. The ideas are relevant to the prompt, mentioning economic benefits, environmental impacts, and accessibility in rural areas. However, some arguments remain somewhat under-developed and are presented with limited elaboration. For instance, the discussion on economic profit and future investments is introduced briefly without deeper exploration. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the overall development corresponds best to the Band 5 descriptors where ideas are present but lack thorough extension and support.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text demonstrates a basic level of organisation, with attempts to divide ideas into introductory, body, and concluding sections. However, paragraphing is inconsistent and mechanical, with ideas lumped together rather than logically separated. Cohesive devices are used minimally and sometimes inaccurately, such as abrupt transitions like 'on the other hand govt need to improve' and 'in conclusion govt need to provides'. Progression between sentences is occasionally hindered by abrupt shifts in focus and a lack of smooth referencing. These features place the response firmly at Band 5, showing some organisation but lacking clear overall progression and sophisticated cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. The student employs common terms like 'transport', 'money', 'railways', and 'environment', but struggles with precise word choice and collocations. There are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'particulray', 'construckting', 'every fast', 'viewa', 'on merits', 'eassy', 'treval', 'poox', 'avaliance', and 'trevling'. These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader, though the general meaning remains retrievable. This level of lexical control aligns with the Band 5 descriptors, reflecting a limited range and noticeable errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences dominate, and attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty, leading to run-on sentences and punctuation failures, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters and missing terminal punctuation. Examples of severe grammatical inaccuracies include 'if govt spent for building new railways that makes profit', 'govt need to improve or build where railways is'nt avaliable', and 'wheres train is not accessible'. Frequent errors in verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and article usage cause considerable difficulty for the reader at times. These limitations match the Band 5 criteria for grammatical range and accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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