Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-03
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 5.0)
SOME PEOPLE IN A DIGIT OF COUNTRIES BELEIVE IT IS ESSENTIAL TO SPEND BIG SUMS OF MONEY ON DEVELOPMENT OF NEW RAILWAY LINES FOR VERY FAST TRAINS BETWEEN CITIES AND SOME OF THEM THINK THE MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON RECONSTRUCTING OLD LOCAL TRANSPORT. THIS ESSAY WILL EXPLAIN THE BOTH VIEWS AND IN ADDITION I GIVE MY PERSONAL OPINION.
IN THE BEGINNING, SOME PEOPLE VIEWS TO CONSTRUCT NEW RAILWAY LINES BECAUSE THE NEW RAILWAYS BE MAINTAINED FOR LONG TIME. FURTHER, IT HAVE NO MAINTENANCE EXPENSES FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND ALSO BUILD THE RAILWAY LINES TO CONNECT OTHER NEW CITIES. THE NEW RAILWAYS HAVE BALANCE WITH THE HELP OF MORE PEOPLE WHICH CREATES MORE JOBS IN THE CONNECTED RURAL AREAS THAT HELP PEOPLE NEEDS.
ADDITIONALLY, THE OTHER PEOPLE POINT OF VIEW IS ALSO ACCEPTABLE THAT MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON IMPROVING EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORT THAT OLD CONNECTED CITIES LINES MAINTAINED THEIR ROUTE AND DIFFICULTIES IN STATION IMPROVED AND PEOPLE ALREADY KNOWS THAT TIMING OF TRAINS FROM ONE CITY TO OTHER. THE RECONSTRUCT TAKES LITTLE TIME TO REPAIR AND IMPROVE WITH MORE FACILITIES AND ALSO IT TAKES NOT MUCH MORE MONEY AS NEW RAILWAYS SPENDING.
MOREOVER, NEW LINES TAKES MORE TIME AND CASH AS COMPARED TO IMPROVE OLD ONE AND IN STARTING GOVERNMENT NEED MORE LAND FOR LINES WHICH DISTURB THE OTHER PEOPLE PRIVACY FOR SOME TIME BUT IN CONSTRUCTING NEW IT RISES THE EMPLOYEMENT FOR LOCAL PUBLIC.
IN SUM OF ALL, MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT COUNTRIES SHOULD SPEND MONEY ON NEW LINES FOR VERY FAST TRAINS THAT NEW ONE HAVE MORE BENEFITS OF RISES EMPLOYEMENT, FAST TRAINS REACH MORE QUICKLY AT DESTINATION AND PEOPLE CONNECTED WITH NEW CITIES AND ALSO TOUR THE CONNECTED CITIES ON HOLIDAYS. AT LAST, NEW RAILWAY LINES HAVE LOT OF ADVANTAGE.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for new high-speed railway lines in the conclusion. Relevant points include connecting new cities, creating employment, and the shorter construction time and lower cost of upgrading existing transport. However, these ideas are mostly asserted rather than explained: for example, the claim that new railways have “no maintenance expenses for a period of time” is not supported, and the benefits of faster travel and tourism are only briefly mentioned. The comparison between the two options could be more balanced and specific, with a concrete example showing who benefits and why. Develop each main reason with explanation or evidence, and make your position clear earlier as well as in the conclusion. (18 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.)
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, a further comparison, and a conclusion. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression within paragraphs is often unclear, and several ideas are joined without showing how they relate. For instance, the first body paragraph moves from maintenance to connecting cities and then to jobs without explaining the links. Connectors such as “Additionally,” “Moreover,” and “In sum of all” are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, while references such as “the new one” and “the other people” are not always precise. Group related points more carefully, use clear topic sentences, and choose linking expressions that accurately signal contrast, cause, or result.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You attempt vocabulary relevant to transport and infrastructure, including “railway lines,” “maintenance,” “reconstructing,” “facilities,” and “employment.” This shows some ability to discuss the topic, but the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “in a digit of countries,” “have balance with the help of more people,” and “the reconstruct takes little time.” There are also spelling errors such as “beleive” and “employement.” Aim to learn common topic collocations and check word forms and spelling. More precise phrases such as “upgrade existing services” and “connect previously underserved cities” would help express your ideas clearly without relying on repeated references to “new” and “old.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because” and “which,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in verb forms and agreement occur throughout, as in “some people views,” “the new railways be maintained,” “it have,” and “new lines takes.” Articles and sentence construction are also problematic: “explain the both views” and “in starting government need more land” are difficult to process. Several sentences contain multiple clauses without clear grammatical relationships, which can obscure your meaning. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then combine them using controlled subordinate clauses. Pay particular attention to subject–verb agreement, verb forms after modal verbs, articles, and sentence boundaries.
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