Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-10

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 5.0)

In my opinion the railway lines should be more contructed because in many other counties people usually travel through trains that they call metro because it uses low fuel and also decrease the air pollution in the country and this is the main reason that in other countries like japan , china and UK have these metro to use and also it is a fast transport to use . It is also a long time investment that makes you benefit .

In this thing it is also good to invest on public transport like bus and taxis but the main issue is that trains can also be use as pub lic transport . If we invest on bus and taxis it will require more investment like their maintainance and changing their oil and petrol and etc it will require much money to spend as compared to the trains and the main reason is that it also increase the air pollution in our environment that is dangerous for our health and our skin thats why other countries spend more money on railway lines but the one advantage that i see is that we can travel quicker and faster that train because buses and taxis will drop to our home gate but trains would not .

in my opinion investment should goes on the railway line because it is more beneficial and good for our health as discuss above . but government knows better where to invest and where to waste we can just give them a advice .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear preference for investing in railway lines, and you offer relevant reasons: trains may use less fuel, reduce pollution, and provide a long-term benefit. You also acknowledge the alternative by mentioning buses and taxis, including their convenience in reaching people’s homes. However, the discussion of improving existing public transport is limited, and the response does not clearly distinguish high-speed intercity rail from metro systems. Several claims, such as trains requiring less investment overall, are asserted without explanation or a specific example. To develop the response further, explain the strongest case for upgrading current services, then support your comparison with a concrete example and maintain a clear, reasoned position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic overall shape: it begins with your opinion, considers buses and taxis, and ends by restating your preference. This gives the reader a general sense of your argument. However, the ideas are crowded into very long paragraphs, and the progression within them is difficult to follow. Repeated links such as “and also,” “the main reason,” and “but” do not always show the precise relationship between points. For example, the shift from trains’ environmental benefits to the cost of maintaining buses is abrupt. Use separate paragraphs for each view and a conclusion, and organise each paragraph around one main claim supported by explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “air pollution,” “public transport,” “investment,” and “long time investment.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the argument less clear. “Metro” is not a precise substitute for high-speed trains between cities, while “changing their oil and petrol” does not clearly describe the costs of operating buses and taxis. Spelling errors such as “contructed,” “maintainance,” and “counties” also affect accuracy. Build a more precise transport vocabulary and check spelling; for instance, distinguish intercity rail from urban metro services and use terms such as operating costs or maintenance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in extended sentences, but the response relies heavily on long strings joined by “and,” and these are often difficult to control. There are frequent errors in verb forms and agreement, as in “trains can also be use,” “it also increase,” and “investment should goes.” Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, particularly in the opening and final sections. These problems sometimes make the reader work to understand how the ideas relate. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then add a controlled range of complex structures. Check subject–verb agreement, verb forms after modal verbs, and punctuation when editing.

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