Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-23
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 5.5)
Constructing new railway lines enhance the connections between cities and provide high-speed railway network. However, allocate substantial funding to railway infrastructure is not entirely a right decision, as some argues that upgrade existing transportation would be more beneficial. in spite of this going debate, I believe that providing new railway line promotes long-distance travel and encourages regional development.
On the one hand, investing on railway infrastructure connects major cities easily and reduce the travel time. In addition, the price of the train is more affordable than that of the public transport, so it is the best option for the average families who are living in small cities want to travel to the big one. Moreover, fast and reliable railways could allow students and employee to live in one city and work or study in another
On the other hand, upgrading existing public transport may be more practical for daily life routine. Improving public transport system by expanding buses and metro network may reduce the overcrowding. Allocate funding to these systems would improve reliability and increase service frequency. In addition, improving existing transportation system will consume much less than construct new railway system. As a result, government would prefer this service to the large portion of population.
in my view, i would prefer investing on railway infrastructure for my own interest. As i am living in a city where it is far for the most common cities in my country; My university and most companies are there. Consequently, trains are more affordable and promotes fast long-distance travel.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the views on constructing new high-speed railway lines and improving existing public transport, while also providing a clear personal opinion. The position is evident throughout the essay, starting from the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. Ideas are relevant and supported with explanations, such as mentioning affordability for families and reduced overcrowding on buses and metros. However, some arguments lack deeper extension, and the personal view leans slightly subjective rather than addressing broader societal factors. Overall, the requirements of Task 2 are met satisfactorily, placing the response comfortably at Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, utilizing distinct introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. Logical progression is evident as the writer moves from high-speed trains to existing public transport and finally to a personal perspective. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'In addition', and 'Moreover' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though minor punctuation and capitalisation errors occasionally disrupt the flow of reading. The organizational structure supports clear communication throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'railway infrastructure', 'public transport', 'long-distance travel', and 'regional development'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are sometimes accompanied by word choice or collocation inaccuracies, such as 'allocate substantial funding' instead of 'allocating', and 'consume much less than construct'. Spelling is generally acceptable, and while errors exist, they do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient for the task and demonstrates developing control over academic expressions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures such as 'as some argues that upgrade existing transportation would be more beneficial.' However, the text contains noticeable grammatical and punctuation errors throughout, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Constructing new railway lines enhance'), incorrect verb forms ('want to travel', 'to construct'), and missing capitalisation at the start of sentences. While these errors occur frequently, they rarely impede the overall comprehension of the writer's arguments, aligning well with the Band 5.5 descriptors.
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