Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-28

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)

People have different opinions about spending money on public transport. Some people believe that it is necessary to spend on our railway system so we could have very fast trains between cities, while others argue that we can use the same amount of money to improve our existing public transport. This essay will discuss both views before explaining why i believe that the we can save alot of money if we improve our existing transport.

One the one hand, some people believe that we should spend our large sum of money on improving our overall infrastructure of railway lines, so people can travel accross different cities without wasting so much time and money. The public transport is mostly used by local poeple who cannot able to spend so much money on private cabs. This little initiative can increase the overall satisfaction of locals for their country and government and make their journey more peaceful. For example, if we see other developed countries then we can see they heavily invest on their transport, because these trains and buses were mostly uses by their working professionals whom have big hand in improving country's overall GDP.

On the other hand, some people think we can spend that money on improving our existing trasnsport, so we can save money from it. The remaining money can be invested on building hospitals and schools, where poor students can get free education. Because there are so many young talented students in our country who cannot be able to school for their education, but this initiative help them to achieve their eduaction and in future they will serve their country. For instance, many students from developing countries want to go abroad to pursue their higher eduaction, because they know those countries provide them good quality education.

In conclusion, although both views have their own reasons, i believe that investing on our young generation is more beneficial than simply investing large amount of money on just making new railways lines. This young generation is the future that will serve the country for long period of time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear opinion: improving existing transport and investing in young people is preferable to building new high-speed lines. You also include a paragraph for each view and give examples, so the response addresses the main parts of the prompt. However, the first view is not fully focused on the specific proposal of very fast intercity trains; it shifts to railway infrastructure and local buses, and the benefits of high-speed rail are not explained in detail. The second view moves from transport improvements to hospitals, schools and education, so the connection between improving public transport and the alternative use of funds is unclear. Develop each side directly and support your opinion with reasons tied more closely to the transport choices.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs signposted with “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion that restates your position. This makes the main direction easy to follow. Some progression within paragraphs is less secure, however. In the second body paragraph, the move from improving transport to funding schools is abrupt, and the example about students going abroad does not clearly support the transport argument. There are also unclear references, such as “This little initiative,” which makes it difficult to identify the precise idea being referred to. Use linking sentences to explain how each point supports the paragraph’s main claim, and make references explicit rather than relying on vague phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “railway lines,” “public transport,” “infrastructure,” and “GDP.” There are also attempts at more formal expressions, such as “overall satisfaction” and “pursue their higher education.” However, several spelling errors and inaccurate or unnatural word combinations reduce precision, including “accross,” “trasnsport,” “investing on,” and “big hand in improving.” Repetition of “spend,” “money,” and “improve” also limits the range. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, use “invest in public transport” and “play an important role in improving the country’s GDP.” More precise transport vocabulary would also help distinguish high-speed rail from local services.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “while,” “because,” and “if,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in sentence structure and grammatical forms occur across the response. Examples include “One the one hand” and “the we can save,” as well as “people who cannot able to spend,” where the verb pattern is incorrect. In “these trains and buses were mostly uses,” the verb form does not fit the sentence, and “whom have big hand” has an incorrect relative pronoun and agreement pattern. Capitalisation of “I” is also inconsistent. Practise building accurate complex sentences and check verb patterns, relative clauses, articles and punctuation before submitting.

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