Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-29

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)

In many countries, people generally believe it is necessary to add a huge sum of investments in expanding the railway infrastructure to add updated high-speed trains between cities. But some consider that these investments should be spent on improving the present infrastructure of public transport.

I completely agree with the first point of view because cities are more crowded than before, and the fast trains with updated infrastructure also save time. In start, its difficult to get the interest of investors, but with proper planning we can give them confidence. In many developed countries like Japan people used fastest trains that benefits them in terms of time saving and also they can now trade better than previous. Though, we have a strong need of buses to give easy access to people living a little far from railway stations and also for those who travel within city by bus.

Good infrastructure like fast trains also generate new opportunities of generating money from other cities markets and new jobs. For example, if we use public transport buses to travel from Lahore to Islamabad, we minimum required four hours and this is dependent on the speed of the bus or old railway system. As public transport do not have dedicated track that creates hurdles and increased travelling time but by building new railway infarstructure with trains have a speed of 300 KM per hour reduces travelling time.

It is concluded that fast railway infrastructure is very important to meet the needs of fast-growing industries and markets.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you support investment in high-speed rail, and you give relevant reasons, including reduced travel time and potential economic benefits. The Lahore–Islamabad example also helps make the argument concrete. However, the task asks you to discuss both views, and the case for improving existing public transport receives only brief attention in the sentence about buses. You do not explain why upgrading current services might be preferable, such as helping more people in the short term or improving local access. Some claims, including that fast trains help people “trade better,” are also not sufficiently explained. Develop the opposing view and support each main point more fully to address the task more completely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, supporting paragraphs and a concluding statement. The ideas about travel time and economic opportunities are grouped in a generally sensible order, and linking expressions such as “For example” and “Though” show an attempt to connect points. However, progression is sometimes unclear: the discussion moves from investors to Japan, then buses, without explaining how these points relate. The second body paragraph also combines economic benefits with the Lahore–Islamabad travel example. Some connections are awkward or unclear, and the conclusion repeats the preference for rail without drawing together the comparison. Use clearer topic sentences and organise each paragraph around one main idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “railway infrastructure,” “high-speed trains,” “dedicated track” and “travelling time,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “generate new opportunities.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, including “add a huge sum of investments,” “in start,” and “new opportunities of generating money.” Spelling errors such as “infarstructure” and imprecise expressions such as “trade better than previous” reduce clarity. Aim for more natural combinations and check spelling and word forms. A wider, more precise range would help you explain the economic and transport arguments without relying repeatedly on general terms such as “good” and “new.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional construction (“if we use public transport buses…”) and a contrast introduced by “but.” The main message is usually understandable, but errors occur across sentence structures and grammatical forms. For example, “people used fastest trains that benefits them” has problems with tense, article use and subject–verb agreement, while “As public transport do not have dedicated track” has agreement and article errors and is an incomplete dependent clause. The sentence beginning “For example” also contains an unclear construction around “we minimum required four hours.” Practise building complete sentences with accurate agreement, articles and verb forms, then proofread punctuation and clause boundaries.

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