Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-28

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)

It is often argued that governments of different countries should spend a vast majority of their revenue on constructing new railway tracks for fast-speeding trains between cities. Whereas, others think that improving existing infrastructure is much more crucial. This essay will discuss both the viewpoints and provide my opinion at the last.

On the one hand, when people feel more safe and comfortable while travelling, without the fear of getting robed or reaching late at their destination, they tend to use public transport quite often. If there are unnecessary delays everytime they travel by train then it creates a bad impression of railway services and due to non-reliability, people might not use it in the future, even if superfast trains are introduced.

On the other hand, developing new infrastructure is equally important for the growth of a nation. Fast trains connecting numerous parts of a city can noticeably reduce commuting time and bring more productivity as people can utilize that extra saved time at their workplace. Moreover, such modern infrastructure with advanced technology can completely transform the outlook of that city.

I genuinely believe that authorities should come up with a balanced approach that can strengthen existing public transport as well as building new railway lines so that they do not have to break the banks and can simultaneously look after other essential things.

To conclude, mindful spending, strengthening the foundation first and adopting futuristic technology are few factors that can significantly contribute to build a developing country into a developed nation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on public transport spending and presenting a clear personal opinion. The student explores the arguments for upgrading existing infrastructure in the second paragraph, highlighting reliability and user experience, while the third paragraph considers the economic and productivity benefits of new high-speed rail lines. The writer's position is clearly stated in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion and body paragraphs. However, some ideas could be extended further with more specific examples to reach a higher band. For instance, the discussion on improving existing services relies heavily on general statements about safety and comfort rather than concrete examples. Nevertheless, the prompt is fully addressed and ideas are relevant and generally well-developed throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Information and ideas are arranged coherently, with distinct introduction, body, and concluding paragraphs. The student uses standard cohesive devices such as On the one hand, On the other hand, and Moreover to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points of view. However, some cohesive devices feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, and referencing is occasionally loose, such as the concluding sentence referencing "few factors" without seamless integration. Overall, the structural framework is clear and makes the essay easy to follow from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully attempting less common lexical items such as "infrastructure," "productivity," "futuristic technology," and "balanced approach." However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies. For example, the phrase "fast-speeding trains" is unnatural and should be "high-speed trains," and "robed" is a misspelling of "robbed." Additionally, idioms such as "break the banks" are misused both in form (should be 'break the bank') and register for an academic essay. Despite these lexical errors and awkward phrasings, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly and communicate the writer's ideas effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar and punctuation. Examples of complex structures include conditional sentences ("If there are unnecessary delays...") and relative clauses. However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to affect precision. Notable errors include spelling and word form issues like "everytime" instead of "every time," and minor punctuation or phrasing slips such as "at the last" instead of "at the end" in the introduction. Furthermore, there is a missing preposition or parallel structure error in the conclusion: "strengthen existing public transport as well as building new railway lines" lacks grammatical parallelism. Despite these errors, communication is rarely impeded, and the sentence structures remain comprehensible.

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