Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-30
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)
Nowadays, many countries spend a large amount of money on public transport. Some people believes that governments should build new railway lines for very fast trains, while others think that existing public transport should be improved. This essay will discuss both views in my opinion, both are important, but improving existing transport should be given more attention.
On the one hand building new railway lines for very fast trains has several benefits. First of all, high speed trains can reduce travel time between cities. People can travel long distances quickly and comfortably. For example a person can travel from one major city to another in a much shorter time by using a high-speed train. Moreover, these trains can reduce the number of cars and buses on roads. As a result traffic congestion and air pollution may decrease.
On the other hand, improving existing public transport is also very important. Firstly, many people use buses, local trains and metro services every day. If these services are improved, millions of people can benefit from them .for example governments can increase the number of buses ,improve roads and railway stations, and make public transport safer and cleaner. In addition, better local transport can help students, workers and older people travel easily. It can also be cheaper than building completely new railway systems.
In conclusion, high speed railway lines can provide faster travel between cities and may reduce road traffic. However , improving existing public transport can help a larger number of people in the their daily lives. Therefore , I believe governments should improved current transport systems while also developing high speed railway where they are genuinely needed.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on public transport spending and providing a clear, consistent personal position in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are adequately supported with relevant explanations and examples, such as mentioning how high-speed trains reduce travel times and how improving local transport helps everyday commuters like students and older people. The arguments are well-extended, although the development of some points could be slightly more expansive to reach higher band levels. Overall, the task is properly fulfilled with a clear stance maintained throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a logical overall arrangement with clear paragraphing used for the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion'. However, there are some mechanical issues with cohesion and punctuation, such as missing spaces before punctuation marks (e.g., '.for example' and 'Moreover ,') and occasional awkward referencing. Despite these minor flaws, the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'traffic congestion', 'air pollution', and 'public transport systems'. There are occasional word choice and phrasing inaccuracies, such as 'Some people believes' (grammatical slip affecting lexico-grammatical choice) and minor punctuation-related spacing errors. Less common vocabulary is attempted with reasonable success, though precision and sophistication remain at a competent level rather than advanced.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, demonstrating an ability to form conditional and multi-clause sentences effectively. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Some people believes'), missing articles ('high speed railway where they are genuinely needed'), and spacing mistakes before punctuation marks. However, these errors rarely impede overall communication, and the majority of simple sentences are clear and understandable.
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