Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-07-24

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many parts of the world, people rely on private cars for transportation.

In what ways does reliance on private cars affect the way we live?

Do the effects tend to be positive or negative?

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Reliance on private cars reshapes everything from how our cities are designed to our daily routines and stress levels. While cars offer unmatched individual convenience, their widespread adoption creates major trade-offs for communities and the environment. I discuss how the private cars impact on our live and the positive and negative trend on the following paragraphs.

In the world,Urban Layout (Suburban Sprawl): When cars become the primary mode of travel, cities expand horizontally rather than vertically. Residential neighborhoods, workplaces, and grocery stores end up miles apart, making walking or biking practically impossible.

​Sedentary Routines: Spending hours seated behind a wheel replaces physical movement (like walking to a bus stop or biking) with passive commuting, altering daily activity levels.

​Time Allocation: The average commuter spends hundreds of hours per year navigating traffic, directly reducing time available for family, hobbies, or rest.

On the trend of positive side, Travel directly from door to door on your own schedule without relying on fixed transit timetables.Working late night shifts or taking spontaneous trips off the main public transit routes.

Economic ReachExpands housing and job options by letting you live in affordable suburbs while working in city centers.Families buying larger homes in suburban areas while maintaining urban jobs.

Practicality for FamiliesSimplifies trips requiring heavy loads or multiple stops.Grocery shopping for a large family or transporting young children and elderly relatives. On the negative side, Environmental & Public Health Damage: Gasoline and diesel vehicles emit greenhouse gases and fine particulate matter, contributing to poor air quality, asthma, and climate change.

Financial Strain: Car ownership is expensive. Between loan payments, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and parking, cars consume a large portion of average household incomes.

Traffic Congestion & Psychological Stress: Heavy gridlock leads to chronic stress, road rage, and lost economic productivity.

Loss of Public Space & Community: Massive amounts of urban land are dedicated to asphalt — multi-lane highways and parking lots — instead of parks, walkable plazas, or community gathering spots.

Safety Risks: Traffic accidents remain a leading cause of accidental injury and fatality worldwide.

I

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying the ways reliance on cars affects life and discussing both positive and negative aspects. However, the structure is problematic. The essay relies heavily on bullet points and fragmented lists rather than cohesive, well-developed paragraphs. While the ideas are relevant and demonstrate a good understanding of the topic, the lack of full sentences in the body sections prevents the development of a clear, academic argument. To reach a higher band, you must integrate these points into full, flowing paragraphs that explain the 'why' and 'how' behind your claims, rather than simply listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay lacks a standard paragraph structure. The use of bullet points and fragmented headings like 'Urban Layout (Suburban Sprawl)' and 'Economic Reach' disrupts the flow and logical progression of the text. Cohesive devices are largely absent because the text is presented as a list rather than an essay. While the ideas are grouped by theme, the mechanical presentation makes it difficult for the reader to follow a coherent argument. You need to use transition words (e.g., 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' 'in contrast') to link your ideas within full sentences to improve the overall structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using terms like 'unmatched individual convenience,' 'sedentary routines,' 'particulate matter,' and 'chronic stress' effectively. This shows an ability to use topic-specific language. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and phrasing, such as 'the private cars impact on our live' (should be 'the impact of private cars on our lives') and 'On the trend of positive side' (should be 'On the positive side'). Despite these slips, the vocabulary is generally precise and appropriate for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex structures, but the reliance on list format means that many 'sentences' are actually fragments. For example, 'Families buying larger homes in suburban areas while maintaining urban jobs' lacks a main verb. There are also grammatical errors, such as 'the positive and negative trend on the following paragraphs' (should be 'in the following paragraphs'). While you show an ability to construct complex ideas, the lack of full, grammatically correct sentences throughout the response limits your score. Focus on ensuring every point is expressed as a complete sentence with a clear subject and verb.

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