Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-02

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 many countries, some argue that it is essential to make high capital expenditure on constructing new railway lines for very fast trains between cities, while some contends that more public fund should be allocated towards developing existing public transport. This essay agrees that it is crucial to spend public funds on constructing new railway lines to reduce commute time between cities.

By making investment to construct new railway lines will provide access to better job opportunities to individual that stay far from the city central. Since in many countries, businesses with high paying jobs are usually located in the city centre, this makes it difficult for the ones residing in suburbs far from the centre to become eligible for such job positions. Moreover, people tend to migrate in regions nearby the city centre, which increases the cost of living in that region. For instance, in Sydney, the government are making infrastructure advancements to enable people to travel to different cities within 30 minutes. As a result, jobs can be accessible to the people living far away from city area, and spreads the population concentration in suburbs around and in the city to reduce cost of living. Therefore, the installation of rapid trains in the new track lines will bring cities closer to each other.

On the other hand, some argue that investment should be directed towards improving existing public transport systems. This is because major cities are already overcrowded, and the current infrastructure cannot adequately accommodate the growing population. Trains, in particular, are often overcrowded, making public transport inconvenient for commuters. Therefore, many people suggest that governments should invest in faster trains and increase the frequency of services by running more trains at shorter intervals. However, such measures would not address the high cost of living, which would continue to place financial pressure on residents.

In conclusion, I strongly believe the advantage of making investments on constructing new railways for fast trains to reduce travel time between cities outweighs the advantage of improving existing public transport infrastructure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on public spending and clearly stating a personal position. The length requirement is fully met, with 11 words copied from the prompt excluded from the count. While the main ideas are relevant, some are more fully developed than others, fitting the characteristics of this level. For instance, the discussion regarding the benefits of rapid trains for job access and population distribution is extended well with a specific example from Sydney. However, the counter-argument concerning the overcrowding of existing public transport is somewhat under-developed and lacks the same depth of support. To reach a higher level, all competing arguments should be given equal weight and thoroughly elaborated with specific examples or broader logical implications.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas from the introduction through the body paragraphs to the conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct viewpoint. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'By making investment', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand', though referencing and transitions are sometimes a bit mechanical or faulty. For example, the transitional phrase at the beginning of the second paragraph ('By making investment to construct new railway lines will provide') creates a slight grammatical and cohesive disruption in sentence linkage. Improving the flexibility and natural flow of cohesive ties between sentences would elevate the organizational quality.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the intended arguments. The student attempts less common items and subject-specific terminology such as 'high capital expenditure', 'infrastructure advancements', and 'population concentration'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form that prevent a higher score. Examples include 'some contends' instead of 'some contend', 'make investment' rather than 'make investments' or 'invest', and 'stay far' instead of 'live far'. These errors do not impede communication, but to achieve a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate greater precision and consistency in less common lexical choices and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct compound and subordinate clauses. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely impede communication. Examples of grammatical slips include subject-verb agreement issues ('the government are making' where singular/plural mismatch occurs, and 'to individual that stay' instead of 'individuals who stay'), and awkward prepositional or infinitive patterns ('investment to construct' instead of 'investment in constructing'). Control of complex structures is evident, but frequent minor slips in agreements, articles, and pluralisation keep the accuracy at this level. To improve, the writer should focus on careful proofreading to eliminate basic grammatical discrepancies.

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