Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-01
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 today's rapidly changing world the issue of transportation has sparked a considerable debate. There are those who strongly support the idea that government should spend more in railway line. In other equal people believe that government should spend in other public transportation. This essay will explore both side of the argument with concluding my own opinion on which viewpoint holds the greater merits.
The supporter of the view that says government should spend more on railway line, people believe this because they have several valid reasons like more convenient way of transporting is rail, it is faster also. Traffic congestion is the main problem in this fast growing world every people get stuck at traffic light at road jams and at other reasons to escape from this different traffic congestion train helps out. However train get accident form derailing collapse with another train or collapse with station also to reduce this accident government is taking action but they should give more attention towards this field.
Conversely, other are of the opinion that spending money to improving existing public transport, and they provide equally convincing arguments. To begin with, public bus remain unused because of their facilities government should take some action in this topic where public transportation should be used by their citizen. Make some strict rules and regulation for user where they should not do any kind of damage in the vehicle protect like their own and use like public. Additionally, other public transportation are easy to use weather if going from city to city of inside the city, which appealing to a significant portion of society.
In conclusion, both viewpoint offer valuable insights into transportation, and each has its own strength. However, after carefully considering both arguments, i fairly believe that should spend in railway, as it provide a more pragmatic and relevant facts.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address both sides of the discussion and state a preference for railway investment in the conclusion, so the response is relevant to the task. The first body paragraph gives reasons such as faster travel and reducing congestion, while the second mentions improving bus facilities and encouraging responsible use. However, these points are only partly developed: the railway paragraph shifts to train accidents without explaining how this supports greater investment, and the public-transport argument does not clearly show what improvements would achieve. Your position is also not fully clear in the introduction, which promises an opinion but does not indicate it. Explain the benefits of each option with specific examples, and make your preference explicit from the beginning.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “Conversely,” “To begin with,” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the point about train accidents interrupts the explanation of speed and congestion, and the bus paragraph moves from unused services to rules for passengers and then to ease of use without clearly connecting these ideas. Some linking phrases also feel formulaic rather than showing precise relationships. Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain its consequence and give an example; use references such as “these services” only when their meaning is clear.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “traffic congestion,” “public transportation,” “derailing,” and “facilities,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “considerable debate” and “valid reasons.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, including “spend more in railway line,” “other equal people,” and “collapse with another train.” Repetition of “government,” “public transportation,” and “view” also limits flexibility. Aim to learn common transport collocations and check whether each phrase expresses the intended meaning. More precise choices, such as “invest in railway infrastructure” and “collide with another train,” would make your arguments easier to understand.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a contrastive opening with “Conversely” and a concluding sentence beginning “However.” Nevertheless, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “government should spend more in railway line,” “every people get stuck,” and “both viewpoint offer”; the final sentence, “i fairly believe that should spend in railway,” also lacks a clear subject and has an unclear clause structure. Capitalisation of “I” and punctuation around long sentences need attention as well. Practise building accurate subject–verb–object sentences first, then add subordinate clauses while checking agreement and articles.
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