Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In the future all cars, buses and trucks will be driverless. The only people travelling inside these vehicles will be passengers.

Do you think the advantages of driverless vehicles outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 7.0)

The benefits of driverless vehicles compared its drawbacks has been a topic of discussion. In my opinion, the advantages outweighs the disadvantages because driverless vehicle could cause fewer accidents. However, this would increase the unemployment rate if they replaced drivers, especially buses and trucks drivers. So, they would only be beneficial if the vehicles were designed correctly and there were employment opportunities for those whose job were being replaced.

One of the benefits of driverless vehicles are reduced accidents and this due to a driverless system not being affected by tiredness, the influence of alcohol or distractions using phones. For example, someone who is under the influence of alcohol might drive recklessly and use their phone, which can take their attentions from the road which could lead to accidents. However, with well-designed system those accidents could be avoided.

However, a major disadvantage of driverless vehicles is the potential loss of jobs, particularly among bus and truck drivers. As transport companies replace human drivers with automated systems, many workers could lose their main source of income. For example, an experienced truck driver may struggle to find another job if their skills are no longer needed. Governments and employers could reduce this impact by providing training and helping affected workers move into other roles. Although job losses are a serious concern, I believe the potential to save lives through safer transport is a greater long-term benefit.

In conclusion, while driverless vehicles could lead to unemployment among professional drivers, their potential to reduce accidents caused by tiredness, alcohol and distraction outweighs this drawback. Reliable vehicle design and support for affected workers would help ensure that this development benefits society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you believe the safety benefits outweigh the employment costs, and the conclusion restates this judgement. You address both sides with relevant support, including how fatigue, alcohol and phone use can contribute to crashes, and how automation could affect bus and truck drivers. The example of a displaced truck driver and the proposed retraining support help extend the disadvantage. This is a well-focused response with ideas generally supported, though the safety case relies on a broad claim that a well-designed system would prevent such accidents; a more specific example or explanation of how automation improves safety would make the reasoning more fully developed. The condition in the introduction about correct design and employment support could also be linked more explicitly to your final judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, the body paragraphs consider safety and job losses, and the conclusion weighs the two. Ideas progress logically, and examples are placed where they support the relevant point. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “However,” and “Although” help show relationships between claims. There is some overuse of “However,” including at the start of the safety paragraph and again before the disadvantage, which makes the transitions slightly repetitive and can blur the contrast. The first body paragraph also moves from the accident example to the general claim about system design quite quickly. More varied transitions and a clearer link between each example and the paragraph’s main claim would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “driverless system,” “under the influence of alcohol,” “automated systems,” “source of income,” and “long-term benefit.” These choices communicate the topic clearly, and phrases such as “move into other roles” show some flexibility. However, several word choices or collocations are not fully natural: “compared its drawbacks” needs a more idiomatic comparison, “use their phone” is less precise than describing phone distraction, and “take their attentions from the road” is awkward. “Driverless vehicle” is also repeated frequently. To strengthen the range and precision, use more natural collocations and vary repeated terms with expressions such as “autonomous vehicles” or “automated transport.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional clauses (“if they replaced drivers”), a relative clause (“whose job were being replaced”), and a concession structure (“Although job losses are a serious concern…”). Meaning remains clear throughout, and several sentences are controlled accurately. Some grammatical errors persist, however: “the advantages outweighs” has subject–verb disagreement; “One of the benefits … are” should use a singular verb; and “this is due to” needs a verb in “this due to.” There are also article and number issues in “with well-designed system” and “whose job were.” Review agreement, articles and singular/plural forms, then proofread sentence openings and clauses. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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