Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-24

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)

Transport is the need of the day majority of people of evert country use local tranport to travel either from city to city or within urban centers. Some people give more importance to make new transport medium which are fast and convinent while some argue that to repair the mediums which are already in use. From my perspective, with the passage of time, people need more fast and reliable methods of travelling.

On the one hand, residents of the modern era they demand modern things from their government because they pay taxes to them this is included in their basic right to demand. In addition, time is very fast now everyone is in race of earning more local and premitive mode of tranportation kill their valuable time. So, it is necessary to buid bullet trainsfor the general public. Fast train should be used for long routes this can also lessen the burden of traffic on highways. For instance, bullet train in china which run on the speed of 400 to 600km/h and they have underground tracks which are very reliable to use and time saving.

On the other hand, some argue that public transport which is already in use should need repair or maintainance, if we repair or maintain trains on time they can be used within cities or to countrysides with less population. Spending money on old tranport is waste if the engine are too old like coal engines or diesel engines, international organizations are recommeding to minimise their use because of global warming.

Conclusion, most of the countries have very minimal bugdets for the public transports so, this is the good suggestion to not to us that bugdet on modernizing old scraps. They should invest on new trains which meet the current usage criteria.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both proposals and state a clear preference for investing in new trains, particularly in the conclusion. The points about faster journeys, reduced highway traffic and maintaining existing services are relevant. However, the two views are not explored equally: the case for improving current transport is brief, and the claim that spending on older transport is wasteful is asserted rather than supported. The example of China adds detail, but the speed and underground-track claims are not clearly connected to why this investment is preferable. To strengthen the response, explain the benefits of upgrading existing networks—for example, wider access or improved reliability—and weigh these against the advantages of high-speed rail before reaching your conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The signposts “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the discussion, and the main position is repeated at the end. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear because several points are joined together without clear sentence boundaries, as in the opening of the first body paragraph. Some links are mechanical, and “Conclusion” is not smoothly integrated as a transition. References such as “they” in the China example could also be clearer. Use one main idea per sentence, connect each example explicitly to its point, and make the comparison between the two options more visible.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “bullet trains,” “highways,” “global warming” and “public transport,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “reliable” and “time saving.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, including “local and premitive mode,” “repair the mediums,” and “current usage criteria.” Spelling errors such as “convinent,” “maintainance” and “bugdets” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim to use standard transport collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for the two options—such as upgrading existing services and expanding intercity rail—would make the argument clearer and more academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional forms such as “if we repair or maintain trains on time” and a relative clause in “which are very reliable to use.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors in sentence boundaries, agreement, articles and verb forms sometimes make the reader work to understand the meaning. For example, “residents of the modern era they demand” has an unnecessary subject repetition, while “public transport … should need repair” does not form a correct sentence pattern. The opening also joins several independent ideas with commas. Practise building accurate sentences with one clear subject and verb, and use full stops or conjunctions to connect complete clauses.

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