Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-07

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 in many countries across the world, some people argue that development of fast trains are necessary for fast travel between cities. So a large portion of money should be spend to make it happened. Futhermore, some other people say that instend of spending the money on new railway lines and trains they should spend it on the existing public transport. I do agree with the second statement.

People that say development of railway is necessary and should develop new and fast trains which will make travel between different cities easy. From my perspective, developing railway is a good progress for public transport. But it have some issues as well. For example, if the goverment makes railway lines between cities with fast trains and it take less time and money. All people will start traveling by trains and it is only efficent for small cities or country sides. But this project is not efficent for big cities like Londan and Prais because of the population. Trains are not design to carry millions of people at once. Which will make transport flow difficult.

On the other side, people that say goverment should spent that money on the existing transport which i agree with. Because spending money on only one transport is not the best way because one transport facility can't be able to transport millions of people at once. But if people have multiple transport facilitys then people will not focuse on one transport and will use other transport which will help in flow of public transport. So improving the existing transport will help alot as all the pressure of public transport will be divided in multiple facilities.

In conclusion, Spending large amount on railway line is a good development but for small cities not for big cities. Since single facility can't handle the pressure of millions of people. But if that same money spend on the existing transport to improve it and people will use other transport to which will lower the pressure from one transport.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state your position clearly in the introduction: “I do agree with the second statement.” The response also returns to this preference in the conclusion. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The case for fast trains is described mainly as making inter-city travel easier, while the drawbacks focus on whether trains can serve large cities; this does not fully explain why new high-speed lines might be worth the investment. Your support for improving existing transport is also general: you say that multiple facilities would divide passenger pressure, but give no specific example of what should be improved or how. Develop each side with clearer reasons and relevant examples, and make the comparison more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the other side” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. In the first body paragraph, the point that fast trains help travel between cities shifts to a claim about their suitability for small cities, then to their capacity in large cities, without clearly connecting these ideas. The final paragraph also repeats the argument about one facility being unable to handle demand rather than adding a final synthesis. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and avoid repeating the same point in the conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “railway lines,” “public transport,” “population,” and “pressure.” However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems make the writing less precise. For example, “development of fast trains are necessary” is an awkward expression, and “transport facilitys” and “focuse” contain spelling errors. Repeated use of “transport,” “people,” and “money” also limits variety. Aim to use more precise terms for the proposed investment and its effects, such as public-transport networks, passenger capacity, and infrastructure upgrades, while checking spelling and natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the main argument is generally understandable. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries. Examples include “development of fast trains are necessary,” “it have some issues,” and “the government should spent that money.” The sentence beginning “Which will make transport flow difficult” is a fragment, while “if that same money spend on the existing transport” lacks a correctly formed verb phrase. These errors recur and sometimes make relationships between ideas harder to follow. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and verb forms, and check that each sentence has a complete main clause before adding more complex structures.

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