Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-18

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 many countries individuals believe that it is compulsory to spend huge amount of money on building new railway lines for fast train to travel among cities, while others also argue that money should be spent on improving existing public transportation system.

To begin with, people who believe that it is necessary to spend money building new tracks for railway have some valid arguments. Most of the developing countries are building fast train and tracks for their citizens to make travel more easier and fast. By doing this its also help people to get reach on their work faster without any traffic congestion. this is one of the main reason for people who firmly believe that money should go to upgrade its railway system to give better facilities.

On the other hand, people who argued money need to spent on existing public transportation

to maintain and upgrade its system because they tend to think it is unnecessary to to spend large amount of money on new track. While there already has a existing public transport system. It might take long time to complete this kind of projects which could create long traffic and trouble for the people. However i firmly believe that with modern technology we should go for the latest infrastructures to build new tracks and railway lines which can lead people life much easier and convinient.

In conclusion, both of the views has some advantages and disadvantages but without any doubt i believe money should be spend on building new railway lines and fast trains between cities which can lead people life much easier.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both proposed uses of funding and state a clear preference for new railway lines, particularly in the final paragraph. The first view is supported with relevant points about faster journeys and avoiding traffic, while the opposing view mentions the cost and disruption of construction. However, the discussion remains limited: the case for improving existing transport is not developed with a concrete benefit or example, and the claim that modern technology makes new infrastructure preferable is asserted rather than explained. The conclusion largely repeats your position instead of drawing the discussion together. To strengthen the response, explain the advantages of upgrading current services and support both sides with specific examples. The length requirement is met; eight words copied from the task prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several ideas are joined mechanically or left as fragments. For example, “While there already has a existing public transport system” does not connect smoothly to the preceding point, and the shift from construction disruption to your own opinion is abrupt. Referencing such as “this kind of projects” is also unclear. Build each paragraph around one main claim, then explain its consequence, and use linking phrases only where they show a genuine relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “railway lines,” “public transportation,” “traffic congestion,” and “infrastructures.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the response less natural. Examples include “compulsory” for spending that is considered necessary, “fast train,” and “lead people life much easier.” There are also spelling errors such as “convinient.” These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your overall position, but they reduce precision and sometimes cause difficulty. Aim to learn common collocations for transport and public investment, and check spelling and word forms during revision. More precise vocabulary would also help you explain the benefits and drawbacks without repeating general terms such as “money” and “people.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “while” and “which,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. For instance, “its also help” needs a correctly formed verb, “both of the views has” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “money should be spend” uses the wrong verb form. The fragment beginning “While there already has…” also shows difficulty completing a subordinate clause. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, as seen in lowercase sentence openings such as “this” and “however.” Practise building accurate sentences with one main clause and a supporting clause, then check agreement, articles, and verb forms before adding more complex structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.