Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-05

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 5.5)

Technology have been developing from last few years, since many people are depend on their personal vehicle rather than other way of transportation. However, this trend can affect the life in the negative way according to me. i will discuss in further to support my point.

To begin with, Although private transportations can save time as they do not have to wait for the transportation, people, using public mode of transportation can save money. For example, Not only they do not have to spend money on gas, But also on the maintenance of the car. Moreover, personal cars can leads to the traffic congestion as more cars on the road more traffic jam, Further this thing can cause frustration and less productivity among people.

In Addition, whereas, public transport carries many people at once, private cars usually carry only a few passengers, which effect our environment as vehicle emit harmful gases. Since, these gases can cause the pollution, reliance on personal cars can put negative affect on the people. Furthermore, Nevertheless, people working in the short distance, rely on the cars to travel instead of walking or cycling. As a result, this can contribute to obesity and other health problems.

to Conclusion, based on the aforementioned reasoning, i still affirm that using private car as mode of transport have a negative affect on our life as compared to positive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt by discussing the effects of car reliance and stating a clear negative position. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas regarding traffic congestion, environmental impact, and health are relevant, they are presented in a somewhat superficial manner. To achieve a higher band, you need to expand on your points with more detailed explanations and specific, real-world examples. The under-length nature of the response significantly impacts the overall task achievement score as it prevents a fully developed argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow is often disrupted by the misuse of cohesive devices. For example, the phrase 'In Addition, whereas,' is grammatically awkward and confusing. Similarly, 'Furthermore, Nevertheless,' creates a contradiction that hinders the logical progression of your argument. While you attempt to use transition words, they are often placed incorrectly or used in a way that makes the text feel mechanical rather than fluid. Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words will help your ideas connect more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'developing from last few years' and 'put negative affect'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'effect our environment' (should be 'affect') and 'public mode of transportation' (which is slightly unnatural). To improve, focus on using more sophisticated vocabulary related to urban planning and environmental issues, and ensure you are using the correct word forms (e.g., noun vs. verb).

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('Technology have been', 'cars can leads to'), incorrect preposition usage, and confusion between 'affect' and 'effect'. The sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when attempting complexity, such as 'Not only they do not have to spend money on gas, But also on the maintenance of the car.' You need to focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like article usage and verb tense consistency to improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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