Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-22

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 various parts of the universe, individuals rely on private cars for transportation. This essay will discuss the ways that reliance on individually owned vehicles affect the way we live and also if the effects tend to be positive or negative.

Transportation is very vital to the running of day to day activites.

One can either use personal cars or publicly own transports such as buses and trains for his daily activities.

Nowadays, a lot of individusla rely on their personal vehicles for transportation. The reliance on privately owned cars have both positive and negative effects.

Private cars make life easy and convenient. It eliminates the problem of having to book ahead of time before one's movement. For example, my firend John has a car. it takes him one hour from his house to his office. He does not need to rush to the train or bus station to get a ride. He knows the appropriate time to leave his house and get to work on time. All he needs is to enter his car, in his comfort and drive to work. Private owned cars encourage family trips which enhance interaction and bonding among family members.

However, reliance on private cars have some negative impacts on individuals. For example, my uncle who owns a car, has become so lazy to join public owned transport. For example last month, his car had punctured tires. He found it too difficult to get to the bus station to enable him get to work. Secondly, reliance on private owned cars makes it difficult for such individuals to believe that other people can be better driv ers. They cannot trust other people's driving skills because they are used to driving their own cars.

In conclusion, private owned cars provides convenience and comfort for movement and it also encourages family trip which enhances interaction and bonding among family members. In the other hand, individuals who own private cars become lazy and find it difficult using public transport anytime the need arises. Private cars also undermines other people's driving skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: the essay describes effects on daily life and presents both benefits and drawbacks. Convenience is illustrated through John’s commute, while the family-trip point adds another relevant positive effect. However, the overall judgement is not fully clear: you say the effects are both positive and negative, but do not directly decide whether they tend to be positive or negative. Some support is also limited or not convincingly linked to car reliance; for instance, the claim that owners cannot trust other people’s driving skills is asserted rather than explained. Make your position explicit and develop fewer points with clearer reasoning and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate discussion of positive and negative effects, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the main direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive or unclear. The negative paragraph begins with an example of becoming lazy, then shifts to distrust of other drivers without showing how this follows from the first point. Repeated openings such as “For example” and repeated references to “private cars” make the linking mechanical. The conclusion also repeats earlier points rather than bringing them together into a clear overall judgement. Use topic sentences that group related ideas, and connect each example explicitly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “convenient,” “reliance,” “interaction,” and “bonding.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which makes parts less natural. Examples include “publicly own transports,” “private owned cars,” and “appropriate time to leave.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “activites,” “individusla,” and “firend,” which reduce accuracy. Aim to use more precise transport-related expressions and check spelling carefully. Avoid repeating “private cars” by using suitable alternatives such as “personal vehicles” or “car use,” while ensuring the meaning remains clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple sentences and longer structures, and most ideas remain understandable. However, grammatical errors occur frequently, including subject–verb agreement: “reliance … affect” and “private owned cars provides.” There are also problems with articles, sentence beginnings, and punctuation, as in “it takes him one hour” after a full stop and “In the other hand.” Some longer sentences are awkwardly formed, particularly “He found it too difficult to get to the bus station to enable him get to work.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause. Practise accurate agreement and article use, and build longer sentences from clear clauses before adding extra detail.

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