Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-31

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 are debate that government should spend money on construction new railways lines betwwen cities. While other people are believe that government need to spent on public transport.

To begin with, railway is the best source of travel between two cities beside the transport because railway save a lot of time and people easily reached their destination. Railway connect the major cities with railways lines. Railway also reduce the traffic congestion on road. Government should also need to set the timing of trains because many time train will late and passangers wait a lot of time on railways stations. Also government need to spend money on economy class of trains because some people do not afford the fare of business class. Many people who travel on trains prefer economy class because they can not afford the ticket of business class cabins. Government spend money to improve the economy class that middle and poor class people easily afford. Government need to upgrade the economy class that people travel more safely and easily.

Moreover. some people believe government need to spent on public transport because number of people use buses for traveling. Government spend money to upgrade the public transport like city to city travel buses and metro services that work on a city. Government upgrade the buses in such a way that reduce the air pollution. Buses is a better facility for the people who travel on daily basis. But the major drawback of buses is heavy traffic. Some time due to the heavy traffic jam people who travel through bus will late. Government need to make eco-friendly buses that protect the environment. Fare of buses is very high and many people can not afford it government need to decrease the fare of buses that every people easily afford it.

In conclusion, while new high-speed railway lines offer faster journeys and economic opportunities, I believe that governments should first improve existing public transport because it is more affordable, accessible and beneficial to the general public.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference in the conclusion: existing public transport should be improved because it is more affordable and accessible. The points about faster rail journeys, road congestion, bus use and traffic are relevant. However, the response only partly develops the specific contrast in the prompt: much of the railway paragraph discusses train schedules and economy-class fares rather than the case for constructing new high-speed lines. The benefits of high-speed rail are asserted, but not explained with a concrete example or supporting detail. The public-transport view is also broad, with limited explanation of how upgrades would benefit different groups. Develop each side with focused reasons and examples, and make your position clear earlier as well as in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph on railways, one on public transport, and a conclusion. The paragraph topics are generally relevant, and transitions such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is often repetitive: the railway paragraph returns several times to economy-class affordability, while the bus paragraph moves from daily travel to pollution, traffic and fares without clearly linking these points. Some connections are also awkward, such as “beside the transport,” and “Moreover.” is incorrectly punctuated as a standalone transition. Group related ideas, use clearer cause-and-effect links, and vary referencing so repeated mentions of “government” and “people” do not make the writing feel list-like.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “traffic congestion,” “air pollution,” “economy class,” and “eco-friendly buses.” These terms show awareness of transport-related language. However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, especially “government,” “spend money,” and “people.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems, including “betwwen,” “passangers,” “railways stations,” and “fare of buses.” Some combinations are unnatural, such as “railway is the best source of travel” and “work on a city.” These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Build a wider set of accurate collocations for transport investment and use more specific terms when comparing high-speed rail with existing services.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use basic linking structures, for example “because” clauses and the contrast introduced by “While.” However, the range remains limited, and many sentences contain errors in verb forms, agreement, articles or sentence construction. Examples include “people are debate,” “government need to spent,” “railway save,” and “Buses is a better facility.” The opening “While other people are believe…” is not a complete, correctly formed contrast clause, and the sentence about bus fares joins two independent ideas without suitable punctuation. These recurring errors can make the reader pause, even though the overall message is usually recoverable. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and verb patterns, then check each sentence for a complete clause and appropriate punctuation.

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