Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-23

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)

Several states consider allocating a huge portion of the budget to enhance the railway system rather than to improve public transport. I partially agree with this view, on the grounds that railway lines could also improve the travel time of the commuters.

Overall, developing public transport is beneficial to the pubic, however, it is also crucial to improve the railway lines for a faster route. Although, accessibility could be limited with trains, if railways are to be enhanced, this could result to a better travel for the people. Moreover, the congestion of cars on the roads will be lessened due to the fact that those people who owns a car would prefer to take the train to avoid traffic and they could reach their destination on time or even ahead of time, and it will be because of the faster travel time the railways has guaranteed.

On the other hand, improving the public tranport could also facilitate the easier travel on the road. For example, if additional lanes are to be put up, this will help ease the traffic jams and a lot of people will reach home early and spend more time at home with their families. Furthermore, this would also avoid accidents because it could mitigate the traffic and cutting each other off on the roads will not happen at all.

In my opinion, there must be equal funds to be alloted for both construction of roads and railways. These infrastructures ccould both be benficial to the public and both of it should be given high priority when it comes to aiding the challenges the public transport is facing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a position: “there must be equal funds” for roads and railways. The points about faster train journeys and reduced road congestion are relevant, as is the example of adding lanes to ease traffic. However, the response does not fully match the task’s distinction between building new high-speed railway lines and improving existing public transport. The discussion shifts to railway improvements and road construction, so the two views are not compared precisely. Several claims, such as that extra lanes would prevent accidents, are asserted rather than explained, and your opinion is not supported with a clear reason for equal funding. Develop each side with a specific explanation and make the comparison more directly relevant to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate discussion paragraphs and a concluding opinion. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “On the other hand” and “In my opinion” help signal the direction of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the first body paragraph moves from accessibility to congestion and then travel time without showing how these points connect. “Overall” also introduces a claim that is not clearly a summary of the essay. Some connections are mechanical or imprecise, and the conclusion repeats the idea of equal funding without drawing together the preceding arguments. Use clearer topic sentences and explain the relationship between each supporting point so the argument develops more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “congestion,” “accessibility,” “infrastructures” and “mitigate,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “allocating a huge portion of the budget.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “a better travel,” “faster travel time the railways has guaranteed,” and “cutting each other off … will not happen at all” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling errors such as “pubic,” “tranport,” “alloted” and “benficial” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise transport-related terms and check spelling; for example, distinguish investment in high-speed rail from improvements to local public transport.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional clauses (“if additional lanes are to be put up”) and a concession (“Although, accessibility could be limited…”). Meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors occur in agreement, verb patterns and sentence construction. For example, “those people who owns a car” should use a plural verb, while “could result to” has an incorrect preposition in this pattern. The sentence beginning “Although” is not correctly joined to the following clause, and “both of it should be given” has a pronoun-agreement problem. There are also punctuation issues, including the comma after “Although.” Review subject–verb agreement and clause boundaries, and revise complex sentences to ensure each clause is grammatically complete.

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

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