Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-30

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)

WHEN TOPIC ABOUT SPEND MONEY ON CONSTRUCTING NEW RAILWAY LINES OR IMPROVING EXISTING PUBLIC TRASPORT IS DISCUSSED, THERE ARE DIVIDED OPINIONS. SOME PEOPLE CLAIM THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO INVEST LARGE NUMBERS OF MONEY ON DEVELOPING NEW RAILWAY LINES FOR VERY FAST TRAINS BETWEEN CITIES, WHILE I ALIGN WITH THOSE WHO ARGUE THAT THE MONEY SHOULD BE INVEST ON IMPROVING EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

DISCUSSING THE FORMER OPINION, THE PRIMARY ARGUMENT THE SUPPORTERS WOULD PUT FORWARD IS SPENDING THE LARGE MONEY ON CONSTRUCTING NEW RAILWAYS WHICH CAN HELP TO FAST TRANSPORT BETWEEN CITIES. TO JUSTIFY IT FURTHER, NEW RAILWAY LINE HELPS PEOPLE TO TRANSPORT FAST BETWEEN CITIES. TRAIN IS EASY AND CHEAP WAY TO TRANSPORT. FOR INSTANCE, THIS CAN HELP TO MOVE FAST AROUND OTHER CITIES. ANOTHER SUPPORTING REASON FOR THEIR BELIEF IS NEW RAILWAY LINES PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL IN COUNTRY. TO BE MORE PRECISE, IN ONE COUNTRY WHEN WE HAVE CONNECTING RAILWAY SYSTEM THAT HELPS TO TRAVEL ALL CITIES WITH LESS STRESS.

HOWEVER, THE LATTER VIEW HAS ITS OWN CLAIM. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ARGUMENT IS GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SPEND MONEY ON IMPROVING OR MODIFYING THE EXISTING PUBLICTRASPORT. TO BE MORE SPECIFIC, WHEN GOVERNMENT IMPROVES EXISTING TRANSPORT THAT REQUIRES LESS AMOUNT OF MONEY COMPARE WITH CONSTRUCTING NEW RAILWAY LINES. FOR EXAMPLE, BUS TRANSPORT IS VERY COMMON IN MANY COUNTRIES, SO GOVERNMENT SHOULD EASILY IMPROVE THEM AND MAKE BUS TRANSPORT FOR ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, THIS REQUIRES LESS AMOUNT OF MONEY. IN ADDITION, ANOTHER REASON IS EXISTING TRANSPORT NEVER REQUIRES NEW ROADS OR LINES. TO ELABORATE, EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORT ALREADY HAS ROADS OR LINES.

TO CONCLUDE AND OFFER MY VIEWPOINT, WHILE BOTH PERSPECTIVES PRESENT COMPELLING ARGUMENTS, I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SPEND MONEY ON IMPROVING EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORT DUE TO NOT ONLY THIS CAN NEED LESS AMOUNT OF MONEY BUT ALSO EXISTING TRANSPORTS ALREADY HAS ROADS AND WORKING SYSTEM.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both proposed uses of public money and state a clear preference for improving existing transport, so the response addresses the main parts of the task. The case for new railways includes faster travel and wider access, while the case for upgrading current services focuses on lower costs and existing infrastructure. However, these points are mostly asserted rather than explained: for example, “this can help to move fast around other cities” is unclear, and the bus example does not show how improvements would benefit passengers. The conclusion repeats your position but adds little support. Develop each main idea with a clearer explanation and a specific, relevant example to make the discussion more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “Discussing the former opinion,” “However,” and “To conclude” makes the direction of the discussion easy to follow. This coherent arrangement meets the expected standard, and the reader can identify the main point of each paragraph. However, some linking is mechanical, and ideas within paragraphs do not always progress smoothly. For instance, the first body paragraph repeats the claim that railways enable fast travel, while “For instance” introduces no concrete example. The final paragraph also repeats earlier reasons. Use fewer formulaic transitions and connect each supporting detail explicitly to the paragraph’s main claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the topic, with relevant terms such as “railway lines,” “public transport,” “constructing,” and “improving.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, particularly “large amount of money,” “new railway lines,” and “existing transport.” There are also noticeable word-choice and collocation problems that make some ideas awkward or unclear, such as “large numbers of money,” “transport fast,” and “more opportunity to travel in country.” Spelling and spacing errors, including “TRASPORT” and “PUBLICTRASPORT,” further reduce accuracy. Build a wider set of natural transport-related collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast between the two views and a concluding “not only…but also” structure. Nevertheless, control is inconsistent, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “the money should be invest,” “government should be spend,” and “when we have connecting railway system,” which show problems with verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. Agreement is also faulty in “existing transports already has.” Many sentences follow similar patterns, limiting grammatical range. Practise accurate passive forms and subject–verb agreement, and revise each sentence for a complete, correctly formed clause before adding more complex structures.

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