Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-25

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 recent years, it has been discovered around the globe many individuals excessively depend on their private vehicle for transportation. In my opinion, this is a negative viewpoint because of the environment hazard and traffic congestion that it creates.

To commence with, people depend driving their owned cars of the privacy it entails. Some want to make an important call or complete unfinish tasks during transit than being affected by noise or distraction in a public vehicle. Moreover, another benefit of relying on commuting in ones personal cars is because it saves times. It helps people to meet up with the schedule time. This in turn, transportation through public can be very annoying sometimes because of the disappointment it causes.

Despite the benefits of personal transportation, there are strong arguments that excessively dependence on private cars causes traffic congestion. A situation whereby everyone drives in their comfort vehicle there would more vehicles on the road which may enhance severe traffic jam that can prevent individual from arriving to their workplace early. In addition, huge number of cars on the road produces lots of vehicle emissions which affect the environment and human health because the increase amount of pollution.

In conclusion, although driving private cars is convenient and saves time but it negativity is high due to the increase in environmental pollution which create severe health issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying the effects of car reliance and taking a clear position. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas regarding convenience and environmental impact are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped. For instance, the point about 'privacy' is mentioned but not fully explored with a concrete example. To reach a higher band, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and specific examples to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive analysis of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion'. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'This in turn, transportation through public can be very annoying'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'environment hazard' instead of 'environmental hazard', 'unfinish tasks' instead of 'unfinished tasks', and 'comfort vehicle' instead of 'comfortable vehicle'. While your meaning is generally clear, the limited range of vocabulary and the recurring errors in collocation prevent a higher score. Focusing on learning word families and common collocations related to transport and the environment would be very beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'it has been discovered around the globe many individuals' (missing 'that'), 'people depend driving' (should be 'depend on driving'), and 'the increase amount of pollution' (should be 'the increased amount'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, although they do not completely impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing articles or auxiliary verbs.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.