Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-22

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 6.0)

In various of countries, many people believe it is important to spend huge amount of money on building new railway lines for high speed trains between cities. However, another group of people think the money should be spent on improving existing public transport.I believe that improving current transport should be the first priority.

On the one hand, constructing high speed railway path can bring several necessary advantages. First of all, fast trains can significantly reduce travel time between major cities.This can make business,tourism and education more convinient for people those need to travel frequently. For example, a very fast moving train can connect two large cities in a few hours,without taking long and tiring journeys by road.In addition,rail transport can carry a large quantity of people at a time and may help reduce busy traffic and air pollution.

On the other hand, improving existing public transport may be a more practical use of government money.In many cities, buses, trains and other forms of public transport are overcrowded and poorly maintained. If government invest in more buses, better roads, other vehicles and improved services, it could be beneficial for millions of people.Furthermore,better public transport can make daily travel easier for students and workers.For instance, if buses run frequently an follow schedules, people may be less dependent on private cars, which also reduce traffic jams.

In conclusion, both new high speed railway lines and improved public transport can contribute a better transportation system.Although high speed railway projects are valuable for the future but governments should work first on the existing public transport.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear preference: “improving current transport should be the first priority.” The discussion of high-speed rail gives relevant benefits, including shorter journeys and reduced traffic and pollution, while the second view is supported with overcrowding, maintenance, and service frequency. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the high-speed rail example is general, and the case for prioritising existing transport would be stronger with a specific explanation of how investment could improve access or reliability. Your conclusion restates your position, but the contrast could be more fully justified. The response meets the task requirements; 10 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” make the change in perspective easy to follow, and examples are placed with the relevant arguments. This coherent arrangement meets the lower-band expectations, while the progression is sometimes less smooth because several points are added in sequence without showing their relationship in depth. For example, the first body paragraph moves from travel time to business, tourism and education, then to capacity and pollution. Develop a clearer chain of cause and effect, and use paragraph breaks and spacing consistently. The conclusion’s “Although … but” construction also weakens the final transition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to discuss transport, including “overcrowded,” “poorly maintained,” “frequently,” and “traffic jams.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and you attempt more specific expressions such as “high speed railway lines.” However, several inaccurate or awkward choices limit precision: “railway path” is not the natural term, “a very fast moving train” is cumbersome, and “convinient” is misspelled. There are also errors in forms and collocations, such as “huge amount of money” and “contribute a better transportation system.” Build a more reliable range of transport collocations and check spelling and word forms so that your vocabulary sounds natural as well as relevant.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional sentences such as “If buses run frequently … people may be less dependent on private cars” and a concession in the conclusion. The main meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur across the response. Examples include the missing article in “spend huge amount,” the agreement error “If government invest,” and “which also reduce traffic jams,” where the verb does not agree with its subject. The final sentence combines “Although” with “but,” and punctuation spacing is inconsistent. Practise accurate articles, subject–verb agreement, and sentence linking, then proofread for punctuation. More consistently controlled complex sentences would strengthen the range and accuracy.

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

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