Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-19

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)

Public transport is a covienient way to travel. Some people argue that cities should be connected through fast trains, because it is efficient and advanced. On the other hand, some people think that spending money on already existing public transport is better, as it saves a lot of money, time and effort. I believe, it is better to invest on improving transportation as it is budget friendly and reliable.

On one hand, people think that the Governments should spend money on constructing new railway lines for more efficient trains. These trains are fast and saves a lot of time commuting. Travelling from one city to another would become so much easier with these advanced trains, as they have efficient engines and can attain maximum speed. These trains are called as bullet trains, as the name suggests people reportedly said these trains are very convienient, therefore the Government invest more money into developing these.

On the other hand, spending money on building new railways are in-efficient and takes alot of time. People suggest that the money should be spent on improving existing modes of transportation instead of spending it build new things. This will save a lot of time, as they just have to repair them and make little changes. It will also help save a lot of time on construction. Therefore, making use of already available resources is more efficient.

In conclusion, resources should be spent wisely. If already existing public transport is use-able, why not repair those and save enormous amount on money on developing something entirely new.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—constructing new high-speed rail lines and improving existing public transport—and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction. The ideas are relevant, such as the efficiency and time-saving nature of bullet trains versus the cost-effectiveness and practicality of upgrading existing infrastructure. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat general and repetitive, particularly in the body paragraphs where arguments are restated rather than deeply extended with specific examples or evidence. For instance, the mention of bullet trains lacks specific context. This places the performance firmly in Band 6, where all parts of the task are addressed, but some ideas are slightly under-developed or lack full extension.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'On the other hand', 'Therefore', and 'In conclusion'. However, paragraphing and logical progression show some weaknesses. The second sentence of the final paragraph abruptly introduces a new thought ('If already existing public transport is use-able...'), and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'these trains are called as bullet trains, as the name suggests people reportedly said...'. Paragraph breaks are present but the internal flow within paragraphs can feel mechanical rather than fluid. This aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor, where the overall arrangement is coherent, but cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'infrastructure', 'efficient', 'transportation', and 'resources'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'covienient' (convenient), 'invest on' (invest in), 'in-efficient' (inefficient), 'alot' (a lot), and 'use-able' (usable). Additionally, the phrase 'called as' in the sentence 'These trains are called as bullet trains' is an unnatural collocation. While attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, the persistence of spelling errors and minor collocation slips prevents the score from reaching a higher band. Communication is not impeded, fitting the Band 6 criteria where the vocabulary is adequate and errors do not hinder understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as conditional-like clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Some people argue that cities should be connected through fast trains, because it is efficient and advanced'). There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including subject-verb agreement and preposition errors, such as 'These trains are fast and saves' (save), 'the Governments' (government), and 'spend money on building new railways are' (is). Punctuation is also weak in places, such as the comma splice in 'I believe, it is better to invest on improving...'. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout, matching the Band 6 descriptor where a mix of simple and complex sentences is used alongside some errors that rarely impede communication.

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

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