Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-16
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)
Transportation is the basic need of a human being. In today's world as we see people use different modes of transportation for daily use for going to their offices, homes and other places.
As far as the personal or private cars are concerned they do affect our lives in many ways. For example, if someone has his own transport he can easily go wherever and whenever he wants. Likewise if a person doesn't have his own car or any mode of transport it becomes very difficult for him to travel.
We can say personal cars are very useful in emergency. If someone wants to go anywhere in any emergency situation, his personal transport will be very useful.
If we talk about the positive and negative effects of personal transport, yes it have some negative as well as some positive effects.
Like positive effects are those that it will save the expenses of fuel and negative effects are those that more cars will effect the environment and it will cause more pollution.
In my experience I have seen that if someone has his own transport he can easily travel, go to picnic, take his family anywhere he wants and I think this is a very big advantage of owning a personal car or transport.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address the prompt by discussing the convenience of private cars and mentioning both positive and negative effects, the arguments are superficial and lack depth. For instance, the point about 'saving expenses of fuel' as a positive effect is logically inconsistent with the reality of car ownership. To improve, you must expand on your points with specific examples and ensure your arguments are logically sound. The position is clear, but the lack of development prevents a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into short, simple paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. You use basic cohesive devices like 'For example' and 'Likewise', but the transitions between sentences are often repetitive. The paragraphing is present but does not effectively group related ideas into a cohesive argument. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that supports the overall thesis, rather than listing points in a fragmented manner.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'transportation', 'cars', and 'useful'. There is little attempt to use less common or academic vocabulary. Phrases like 'basic need of a human being' are somewhat clunky. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise, topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning, environmental impact, or personal mobility. Additionally, ensure that your word choices are accurate; for example, claiming that private cars 'save expenses of fuel' is factually questionable in most contexts.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are some attempts at complex sentences, they are often basic or contain errors, such as 'yes it have some negative' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, but the range of grammatical structures is narrow. To improve, practice using a mix of complex and compound sentences, and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage. The current level of grammatical control is sufficient for basic communication but lacks the variety required for higher bands.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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