Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-26

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 majority of countries, a few individuals believe it is important to invest big amount of money on building new railway lines for quick trains between cities. while, others argue that the money should be used for renovating the existing public transportation. From my perspective, both of the demands are equally important which carry different resolutions for the development.

Some people support that, spending large funds on constructing new railway lines can help people travel greater distances in a short period of time. For instance, in many metropolitan cities a lot of employees travel via railways and they believe, constructing new railways will help them travel to their work places rapidly. Moreover, Travelling from one city to another will consume alot of time and money but choosing trains will help them in both views. For example, railways often offer cheaper travel tickets to support employees to travel to different cities very quickly.

On the other hand, investing funds on modernizing the existing public transportation can support people to travel across the town. For instance, It will guide people to travel every corner of the city and they can hop off where ever they want. In addition, developing the existing transportation system can help citizens to have hassle free and effortless routes. Like, locals need not have to walk for long durations to reach a desired location. They could just utilize the modern city transports to even reach the next station and these are very safe for the travellers too.

In conclusion, both of the ideas have different objectives offering support to the people in their own needs. A balanced approach works best. In my view, I support developing the existing public transportation the most, which results in better infrastructure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the construction of high-speed railway lines and the improvement of existing public transport, and it clearly states the writer's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant, such as discussing commuting times and local accessibility. However, some arguments tend to be repetitive and lack deeper extension or more specific real-world examples, remaining somewhat generalized throughout the body paragraphs. For instance, the discussion on existing transport outlines general benefits rather than specific developmental challenges. This places the response comfortably at Band 6.0, as all parts of the task are addressed with relevant, albeit somewhat under-developed, ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two competing views and the writer's personal stance. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In addition', though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or slightly repetitive ('For instance', 'For example'). Despite these minor issues in cohesion management, the text maintains a coherent flow that allows the reader to follow the argument without difficulty, satisfying the descriptors for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'metropolitan cities', 'infrastructure', and 'renovating'. However, there are notable limitations and word-choice errors, such as 'In majority of countries' (missing article), 'big amount of money' (unnatural collocation), and spelling errors like 'alot'. Furthermore, terms like 'quick trains' instead of 'high-speed trains' show restricted flexibility. These inaccuracies do not seriously impede communication, but they prevent the response from achieving a higher score, aligning best with Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including punctuation and capitalization issues (e.g., starting a sentence with 'while, others argue' and lower-case 'It' after a full stop), missing articles ('In majority of countries'), and awkward phrasing ('locals need not have to walk'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to preclude a Band 7.0, making Band 6.0 the most accurate reflection of the student's control.

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