Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-19
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)
In today's world, where automobiles are the first priority in order to acheive a comfortable and smooth lifestyle. In many parts of the world people own their own vehicles, and it has both positive and negative effects on the way we live.
On the one hand, private cars have made life easier for working people and individuals who lives far away from their workplaces. Ownership of the vehicle brings privilege for people, because they can reach anywhere in short period of time. Moreover, it reduces the dependency on the public transport. Additionally, private cars are really helpful for elderley and people with special needs. It has been working as an extra comforting thing in their lives.
On the other hand, reliance on private cars have some drawbacks. First of all, if everyone owns their own private vehicle, it affects the environment negatively. For example, it will increase the air and noise pollution. Furthermore, people in metropolitan cities like Delhi are suffering from overcrowded roads and greenhouse emission. Another drawback is that people often spend extra money on automobiles to look more rich and sometimes they took loans and pay installments every month.
To sum up, there are several benefits to rely on private cars. However, it brings some major drawbacks with it. A balance approach can work perfectly if people use car pooling and use the public transport for some days every week.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the effects of car reliance and whether these are positive or negative. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat brief. For instance, the point about elderly people is mentioned but not fully explained. To improve, you should expand on your examples and provide more detailed reasoning to reach the word count. The position is clear, but the lack of length prevents a higher score as the arguments remain somewhat superficial.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices like 'On the one hand,' 'Moreover,' and 'To sum up' to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions could be more sophisticated. The paragraphing is appropriate, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the benefits to the drawbacks. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid rather than relying on simple list-like structures.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use some relevant terms like 'metropolitan,' 'greenhouse emission,' and 'car pooling.' However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'extra comforting thing' and 'look more rich.' Spelling errors like 'acheive' and 'elderley' also detract from the overall quality. To improve, focus on learning more precise collocations and ensure you proofread for basic spelling mistakes, as these errors limit your ability to convey ideas with sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'reliance on private cars have' (subject-verb agreement), 'individuals who lives' (subject-verb agreement), and 'they took loans' (tense inconsistency). Additionally, the first paragraph is a sentence fragment ('In today's world...'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevent a higher score. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring every sentence has a clear subject and main verb.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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