Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-14

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 6.0)

In many countries, people depend heavily on private cars for their daily transportation. Although cars offer several advantages, I believe that this dependence has more negative than positive effects on the way we live.

One important benefit of using private cars is convenience. Cars allow people to travel whenever they want without having to follow public transport schedules. They are also useful for people who live in rural areas or places where public transportation is limited. For example, a person may need a car to travel to work, university, or the hospital when there are no suitable buses or trains available.

However, relying too much on private cars can cause several problems. First, a large number of cars can lead to serious traffic congestion, especially in big cities. People may spend hours in traffic every day, which can make them stressed and reduce the time they have for their families and personal activities. Second, private cars contribute to air pollution and increase greenhouse gas emissions. This can negatively affect the environment and people's quality of life. Furthermore, people who use cars even for short distances may walk less and have a less active lifestyle.

In conclusion, private cars provide freedom, comfort, and convenience, particularly in areas with limited public transportation. Nevertheless, excessive reliance on them can cause traffic congestion, pollution, and less active lifestyles. Therefore, I believe that the overall effects of depending on private cars are more negative than positive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by explaining how private cars affect our lives and explicitly discussing whether these effects are positive or negative, culminating in a clear position. The ideas are relevant and supported with explanations, such as mentioning convenience, traffic congestion, and pollution. However, a penalty must be applied because the response falls short of the 250-word minimum, containing only 241 words. This slight under-length prevents the ideas from being fully extended to meet the higher band criteria. Consequently, Task Achievement is impacted by the word count deficiency.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression throughout. Paragraphing is used effectively and appropriately, with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing benefits and drawbacks, and a distinct conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'One important benefit', 'However', 'First', 'Second', and 'Furthermore' are used adequately to guide the reader through the argument. Referencing is generally clear, and although some cohesive elements are somewhat standard, the overall structuring of ideas is logical and easy to follow, supporting a solid band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'transportation', 'convenience', 'traffic congestion', and 'greenhouse gas emissions'. There are also attempts at less common lexical items. However, the vocabulary is somewhat general and lacks the sophistication or precision expected at higher bands. Word choice and spelling are generally accurate and do not impede communication, but the repetition of standard phrasing keeps the lexical resource within the competent range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and subordinate clauses ('Although cars offer several advantages, I believe that...', 'People may spend hours in traffic every day, which can make them stressed...'). Grammatical control is generally quite good, with many error-free sentences. Punctuation is handled well. While there are no major structural errors that impede communication, the range of complex structures is somewhat standard rather than wide and flexible, placing it firmly at a solid level.

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

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