Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-10

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 changing world having one's own car is much discussed topic. Subsequently, people for their own comfort and safety prefers to travel in private vehicles or cars. In my opinion, it does have more disadvantages that outweigh the advantages which are discussed in upcoming text.

Initially, individuals travelling in their private cars whether its work, school, or for vacations are adding more to the pollution which in long run is affecting our ecosystem in negative ways. For example- individuals travelling separately on work in their private cars are causing more traffic congestions which in result is causing air and noise pollution. Despite pollution, inflation is also a main factor adding to the rising cost of petrol and diesel. Whereas consumption of subsequent natural resouces are inclining; affecting lives of upcoming generation.

Although, severals campaigns addressing public have been made to utilise carpooling and public transportations.

On the other hand, people having own private cars are much aware of the situation related to safety and crimes.

For example- Crime related to women harrasement and theft are on rise, situation like these make individuals decide to own a private vehicle and travel solely. In my opinion, Government need to accomodate several safety features into public transport to encourage individuals to travel collectively; keeping in mind major issues related to pollution and inflation.

In conclusion, travelling in private has several disadvantages which outweighs advantages. Keeping in accordance government should initiate some campaigns to encourage individuals to utilise more of public transport

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by describing effects on daily life—pollution, congestion, fuel costs and personal safety—and you make your view clear that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The examples of separate work journeys and concerns about harassment and theft are relevant. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the positive effect is largely limited to safety, while the negative effects are listed without much explanation of how they change people’s lives. The conclusion repeats your position but adds little. The response also falls one word short of the required minimum. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation or specific example, and ensure the response meets the stated length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on disadvantages, a contrasting paragraph on safety, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and some links feel mechanical or unclear. For instance, “Despite pollution, inflation is also a main factor” does not clearly show how fuel costs relate to the previous point, while “Although, severals campaigns…” is left as a separate, incomplete thought. The conclusion also repeats the introduction rather than drawing the points together. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each example explicitly to its main idea, and make sure every sentence is integrated into the paragraph’s argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “air and noise pollution,” “public transport,” “carpooling,” and “safety features,” which allows you to discuss the issue. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “outweigh the advantages.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “traffic congestions,” “consumption of subsequent natural resources,” and “public transportations.” Spelling errors such as “resouces,” “harrasement,” and “accomodate” are noticeable, and some phrases are repeated rather than varied. Aim for precise, natural combinations—for example, “traffic congestion,” “depletion of natural resources,” and “public transport”—and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “On the other hand” and a relative clause in “which in long run is affecting our ecosystem.” However, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. Examples include “people … prefers,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “individuals travelling separately on work,” where the sentence structure is unclear. Article use and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “is much discussed topic” and the fragment “Although, severals campaigns…” Practise building complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement, articles, and punctuation before submitting.

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