Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-27

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)

Nowadays, People are interested in buying their own transportation vehicle rather than using public transport or rentals. As a result, we have many private cars in and around for transportation.

On one hand, reliance on private cars gives more comfort than rentals. For example, If a family plans to go for a trip around the province. Which takes approximately a week or two weeks. In this scenario, having an own car helps a lot in reducing the gas price, rental charges and insurance coverage as well. As a result, the trip cost will be drastically reduced when compared to the rental service. Furthermore, most owners like the feeling in traveling in their own cars.

On other hand, having a car had its own advantages and disadvantages like: If we rent a car for our needs, we don't have to pay the monthly insurance and loan for the car. Moreover, a car is a huge liability and long term commitment via payments. Most importantly, repairs are one of the major concerns for all car owners. In addition, there must be a safe place for parking and in some living areas people have to pay an extra add-on payment on top of the rent for parking.

In conclusion, People who want have a private transport vehicle must check their own financials before buying the car and the usage of it in terms of comfort. Otherwise, I prefer rentals and public transport as it is economical and do not need any long term commitments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the reliance on private cars and their effects. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention comfort and financial aspects, the discussion on how this reliance affects the 'way we live' is quite narrow and focuses primarily on personal financial trade-offs rather than broader societal or environmental impacts. The position is clear, but the arguments could be more thoroughly extended to meet the requirements for a higher band. To improve, ensure you explore the implications of car reliance on urban planning, lifestyle habits, or environmental sustainability to provide a more comprehensive answer.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate. For instance, 'On other hand' is missing an article, and the transition between the benefits and drawbacks is a bit abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression between sentences could be smoother. Using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'nevertheless') would help improve the flow of ideas and make the relationships between your arguments more explicit.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'liability', 'commitment', and 'economical'. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'having an own car' (should be 'owning a car') and 'check their own financials' (should be 'assess their financial situation'). The range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic vocabulary. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to transportation and urban living.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include sentence fragments ('Which takes approximately a week or two weeks'), incorrect article usage ('the usage of it'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('having a car had its own advantages'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence boundary control and consistent verb tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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.