Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-25

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)

Nowadays, it is very important to spend money for the public which is very compulsory thing, some people think it is necessary to spend large money on new railways lines for fast trains between cities whereas other believe that the money should be spent on improving existing public transport.

Many people believe that by spending large money on new railway lines for fast trains is helpfull for them to save time and efforts, by spending money on construction of railway lines they are able to save lives cause death because of the problems in the railway tracks it also help them to save time which has been wasted by the tracks by which trains sometimes reduces their speed to save the train from any kind of accidents.

On the other hand many people belive that spending money on public transport is more benefical because of the people always try to avoid public transport because of their poor facilities and slow services by that reasons people try to use their own private vehicles which help them to save their time and energy, By poor public transport the amount of private vehicles is increasing day by day which can cause traffic congenstion, air and noise pollution.

in my opinion, by spending money on public transport is more benefical because it help to control the traffic and air pollution, Government have to announce some public transport schemes like green busses or orange metro train and give public clean environment and time managment which can make the public transport more common by having that kind of facilities everyone will prefer to use public transport which will reduce usage of private cars and air pollution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state a clear preference for improving public transport, especially in the final paragraph. The discussion of high-speed rail identifies possible benefits—saving time and reducing risks associated with poor tracks—while the opposing view links better public transport with less private-car use, congestion and pollution. However, these points are only partly developed: the railway argument is difficult to follow, and the public-transport benefits are asserted rather than supported with a specific example or explanation. Your opinion is clearer than the reasoning behind it. To strengthen the response, explain how each investment would benefit different groups or journeys, and use a relevant example to support your preference. The response meets the task’s length requirement; 19 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph for each view, and a final paragraph giving your opinion. Connectors such as “whereas” and “On the other hand” help signal the contrast between the positions. However, progression within paragraphs is not always clear. The railway paragraph combines saving time, saving lives and track-related delays in one long sentence, making the relationship between these ideas hard to follow. The final paragraph also repeats the benefits of public transport rather than building the argument step by step. Use shorter sentences, give each paragraph a clear central point, and connect explanations explicitly—for example, show how improved services encourage people to leave cars at home and thereby reduce congestion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “railway lines,” “public transport,” “traffic congestion,” and “air and noise pollution,” so the main subject is clear. There are also attempts at more specific terms such as “construction” and “facilities.” However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation and spelling errors make the writing less precise, including “spend large money,” “benefical,” “congenstion,” and “time managment.” Repeated use of “spend money,” “save time,” and “public transport” also restricts flexibility. Build a bank of accurate transport-related collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise alternatives would help you explain investment, service quality and environmental effects without relying on repeated general phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, using structures such as “whereas other believe…” and “because…,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur frequently in verb forms and agreement: “spending large money … is helpfull” and “it help to control” do not form accurate clauses. Articles and plurals are also problematic, as in “the public” and “new railways lines.” Several sentences run on, particularly the long sentence beginning “Many people believe,” and punctuation and capitalisation are not consistently controlled. These errors sometimes make the intended relationships difficult to understand. Practise building accurate subject–verb–object sentences first, then add one subordinate clause at a time, and divide long sentences where they contain several separate claims.

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