Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-18

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)

In many countries,there is a debate about whether government should spend large amount of money on building new railways lines for very fast trains between cities or improve existing public transport. However, both views hold equal valid ground and my view points will be discussed in ensuing paragraphs.

To commence with,investing in high-speed railway lines can provide several benefits. Firsty, very fast trains can reduce travelling times between major cities.This is particularly useful for people who travel regularly for work or education. For example, a journey that normally takes several hours by car or buses could be completed much more quickly by a high speed trains. Secondally, high speed railways can reduce the number of cars and flightd=s on some routes, which may help to decrease reaffic congestionand air pollution. They can also encourages economic development by making it easier for people.

On the flip side, many people believe that improving existing public transport should be priority. In most cities, buses, local trains and metro system are used by a large number of citizens every day. If government improve this services , for instance, by increasing the number of buses , expanding metro networks and making vehicles more comfortable , millions of passangers could benefit. In addition, upgrading existing infrastructure is often less expensive than costructing completely nwe railway lines. This money couls be used to improve stations, roads and transport facilities.

In conclusion, high speed railways can make travelling faster in cities and support economis development, whereas improving existing public transport can be benefit a much large number of daily commuters. in my opinion , government should balance both investment according to the needs of their population .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on public transport spending (new high-speed railways versus upgrading existing infrastructure) and clearly provides the writer's own opinion in the conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported appropriately, such as mentioning travel time reductions and benefits for daily commuters. However, some arguments lack deeper expansion, placing the response solidly in the Band 6 or 7 range. For example, the statement 'They can also encourages economic development by making it easier for people' is abruptly cut off and under-developed. Nevertheless, a clear position is maintained throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two competing arguments. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Firsty', 'Secondally', and 'On the flip side' are employed to guide the reader through the text. However, there are some mechanical transitions and spacing issues (e.g., missing spaces after commas and periods), and referencing is occasionally clunky. Overall progression is clear, meeting the criteria for a Band 6.5 to 7.0, with solid structural organisation despite minor flaws.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the intended meaning with terms like 'infrastructure', 'traffic congestion', 'economic development', and 'commuters'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary with some degree of success, but there are multiple spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text (e.g., 'Firsty', 'Secondally', 'flightd=s', 'reaffic congestionand', 'costructing', 'nwe', 'couls', 'economis', 'benefit a much large'). These errors indicate limited precision and control over less common lexical items, keeping the lexical score at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and relative clauses ('If government improve this services ... millions of passangers could benefit'). There are, however, frequent grammatical errors, particularly involving subject-verb agreement ('whether government should spend', 'government improve this services', 'government should balance'), missing articles ('spend large amount'), and tense consistency. Punctuation and spacing errors are also prevalent throughout. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the grammar score from rising above Band 6.0.

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