Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-21

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 a number of countries, some people think that it is necessary to spend large number of sums of money on constructing new railyway lines for very fast trains between cities. I agree with these people, because by spending most of the money on constructing new railway lines can improve the transport facility. By doing this people can reach on their distination on time. Due to the fast and advance facility of railway people can make a safe journey and the belive of people on railway increases. I belive that railway reduces the pollution that all people travel on only one thing and the chances of accidence reduces.

On the other hand, the opinion of other belivers that the money should be spend on improving existing public transport.the opinion of these people is also valid but because of the the air pollution and noice pollution increases. Due to this most of the people, when use their own vechiles the risk of accidence increases and many people died. So that, because of this country faces many financial and many other problems. Public trasport is better when people did not use their own vechiles then the chances of pollution and accidence could be reduce.

Once, I travelled from Islamabad to Lahore by publice transport . Their with our bus done accidence and the people in car had died.I felt very shocked and very sad , so i decided to not to travel on public transport and from that incidend I prefer railway than public transport.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear preference for railway investment, and you attempt to discuss the alternative view by noting that improving public transport could reduce private vehicle use, pollution and accidents. However, the discussion is only partial: the benefits of high-speed rail are asserted rather than explained in detail, and the case for improving existing transport is not developed with specific examples or comparisons. The personal story about an accident is relevant, but it does not clearly support the preference for rail, since the incident involved a bus and a car. The response is 245 words, five words below the 250-word minimum; eight words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count. Develop both sides more fully and connect examples directly to your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: it introduces your preference, presents the opposing view, and ends with a personal experience. This makes the main direction understandable. However, progression within the paragraphs is limited, and several points are repeated, particularly the claims about pollution and accidents. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “Due to this” are used, but some connections are unclear or mechanical; for example, the relationship between the bus accident and your preference for railway travel needs explaining. The final paragraph also introduces an anecdote without clearly tying it back to the discussion. Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain and support it before moving to the next point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the general subject, including “railway lines,” “public transport,” “air pollution,” and “financial problems.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning less clear. Examples include “large number of sums of money,” “reach on their destination,” and “the opinion of other believers.” There are also frequent spelling errors, such as “railyway,” “distination,” “accidence,” and “vechiles,” which reduce the accuracy and polish of the response. Build a more precise set of transport-related expressions and check spelling carefully; using fewer, more accurate phrases will make your argument easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use subordinate clauses, for example, “because by spending most of the money … can improve the transport facility.” However, this construction is faulty because the subject of “can improve” is unclear, and complex attempts often contain several errors. Other examples include “the money should be spend,” “when people did not use,” and “the chances … could be reduce,” where verb forms or tense patterns are incorrect. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “existing public transport.the opinion.” These errors occur frequently and can make relationships between ideas difficult to understand. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then add clauses while checking subjects, verb forms, articles and punctuation.

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