Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-20

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)

In many countries, few indiviuals think it is importent to invest hug amount of money on building new railway lines for running high speed trains between cities while others assume the money should be devoted in betterment of previously present local transport.In my veiw both of these have their own advantages and distadvantages but money should be spend on previously existing design as it can provide more reliable infrastructure without messing with whole city design, effecient to build, keeping people demand and desireds routes will bw alot easier.

The railway lines was build in ancient time and most of its design and construction belongs to past which seems to be very diffcult to handle in modern cities. For example: Trains needs proper pattern to run on which needs to be spread in the whole city to cover busy routes. It is very diffcult task to demolish or relocate previously build structure and add on new railway lanes. It will cost alot more than we consider it . Time managements of trains will be diffcult as well as it will cover and roam around the whole city.

If we talk about the already existing system we have alot of bus facility which can be iimproved to many levels.For example, We few just increase the number of buses which will not cost much can help in managing more people at same time. moreover they dont need any specification of road to be used they can simply be used on busy routes so they can takeup more people on at a time. But it can give rise to traffic jams but we can have solutions by blocking private cars on these roads and asking people to use local facilities which can add up more benfits in lowering the polution of cities and fuel charges.

In my consideration working on betterment of already present local transport will be more reliable and cost effective in many countries as its hard to demolish city structure just to add up railway lanes pattern.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear opinion in the introduction and conclusion: you favour improving existing local transport because it is more reliable and cost-effective. You also discuss both options, mentioning the difficulty and expense of adding railway lines and the potential benefits of increasing bus services. However, the new high-speed rail option is not fully explained from its supporters’ perspective; the response focuses mainly on the disruption of construction rather than possible advantages such as faster intercity journeys or reduced travel times. The bus example is relevant, but the claim that adding buses “will not cost much” needs support or qualification. Develop the benefits of each view more evenly and explain your reasons with specific, realistic examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate discussion of railway construction and existing transport, and a concluding opinion. This makes the main line of argument reasonably easy to follow. You use linking expressions such as “For example,” “If we talk about,” and “But,” although some transitions feel mechanical, and the first body paragraph does not clearly distinguish the drawbacks of new railways from the reasons people support them. Several ideas are crowded into long sentences, particularly in the introduction and the paragraph about buses, which weakens the progression. Use clearer topic sentences, divide complex points into shorter units, and make references such as “these” and “it” more explicit so readers can follow each point without having to infer its subject.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to transport and urban planning, including “infrastructure,” “traffic jams,” “private cars,” and “cost effective.” These choices show some range beyond basic everyday language. However, spelling errors and inaccurate or unnatural word combinations are frequent and sometimes make the message harder to understand: examples include “indiviuals,” “importent,” “devoted in betterment,” and “previously present.” Some words are also repeated, especially “diffcult” and “alot,” while “roam around the whole city” is not an appropriate description of train routes. Build accuracy by learning common collocations and checking spelling, and choose precise terms such as “existing public transport” and “extend rail lines” rather than translating phrases word for word.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a contrast with “while” and a conditional idea beginning “If we talk about the already existing system.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries occur throughout. For instance, “The railway lines was build” should use a plural verb and a correct past participle, while “Trains needs” has a subject–verb agreement error. The opening sentence also runs several ideas together, making its structure difficult to follow. Practise building one clear main clause at a time, then add subordinate clauses with accurate punctuation. Check agreement and verb forms systematically, and use full stops to separate complete ideas.

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