The cost of public transport has been rapidly rising over the past decade. What are the reasons for this? What are some possible solutions?
Sample Response
In recent years, public transportation has become significantly more expensive. This rise in faressurge in cost has placed considerable financial strainplaced a considerable strain on urban residents, with commuting costs consuming a substantial share of their monthly incomecommuting expenses taking up a substantial part of their monthly earnings. I believe that both inflation and ineffective government policiesless-than-ideal government policies are major contributors to this risekey contributors to this problem.
There are, however, two main waysseveral ways to ease the pressure on commutersease this financial pressure. One approach is to offer subsidized or discounted faresoffer discounted or subsidized tickets to vulnerable groups such as students, the elderly, and people on low incomespeople from low-income backgrounds. Governments could also adoptAnother solution would be for governments to explore more cost-effective and environmentally friendly transport technologiesalternatives, such as electric or solar-powered vehicles. These sustainable options not only reduce emissions but also tend to be cheaper to operate and maintain in the long run.
To sum up, while the rising public transport faresrising cost of public transportation may be unavoidable due to economic trends and policy shortcomings, targeted measures can still be takensteps can still be taken to lessen its impact. Targeted subsidies and the adoption of greener technologies could significantly reduce the financial burden on public transport usersthe population.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response is clear, well organised, and uses a strong range of precise language, especially when presenting the proposed solutions. Its main limitation is incomplete task coverage: at only 170 words, it names inflation and government policy as causes without explaining how either raises fares. The highest priority is to develop each cause with a clear mechanism or example while retaining the concise solution discussion.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response addresses both questions, but the causes are merely identified and the substantial shortfall in length leaves the task insufficiently developed.
Explain separately how inflation and government policy increase transport costs, using a concrete mechanism or example for each.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress clearly through the problem, solutions, and conclusion, with effective paragraphing and generally natural linking.
Add a dedicated paragraph developing the causes so that the organisational balance reflects both parts of the question.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and precise, with effective phrases such as financial pressure, targeted subsidies, and sustainable options.
Extend the same lexical precision to the causes by naming specific costs, funding decisions, or policy effects.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, and the response is virtually free of grammatical errors.
Maintain this high level of control while adding more complex causal explanations and supporting detail.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
The cost of public transport has been rapidly rising over the past decade. What are the reasons for this? What are some possible solutions?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.