Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11

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 6.5)

The automobile industry is rapidly advancing. The innovation of driverless cars is a major breakthrough in the automobile industry as it has a lot of benefits. Many believe that in the future all vehicles will become driverless. Though driverless vehicles have a lot of advantages, I do not think those outweigh the diadvantages.

First and foremost, when public transportation would be replaced with driverless vehicles, the unemployment rate would increase significantly. Now, for each bus or truck, there is an assigned driver and one or two helpers to aid in times of any unfortunate situation. With driverless vehicles, all of these people would become redundant as their service would no longer be required. The unemployment would increase and therefore, the standard living would fall drastically.

Driverless vehicles are driven using a very upgraded technology. However, technology is something which is not entirely reliable as technical glitches is a recurring issue. Under such circumstance, the question of how reliable such vehicles are as public trasport arises.

Driverless vehicles are operated through a system which is likely to be controlled from a central operating point. This means that any prompt necessary stoppage or changes in route cannot be made easily. While I was travelling using a public bus last week, the driver had to change the regular route and rush to the nearest hospital as one of the passenger was a pregnant woman and her water broke. This would not have been possible if the vehicle was driven by technology as instant decision could not have been made so easily.

Furthermore, such technology is very expensive. The cost however would be distributed amongst consumers by increasing the price of public transport. This would become a problem as commute would not remain affordable anymore.

The primary advantage that driverless vehicles have is that they are very safe and less prone to accidents. They are designed in such a manner which helps them to avaoid any untoward situation and assess it beforehand. A driverless vehicle is likely to be notified of any technical or mechanical issue promptly. Such vehicles are also unlikely to move harshly or recklessly as they are operated using a system. However, proper training and balanced work hours can help to integrate this partcular advantage in vehicles driven by humans too. If the drivers are properly trained and rules which restrict absuing drivers with excessive work hours are introduced, reckless and harsh driving would decrease significantly. As for technical issues, a trained persson is likely to understand any issues with the vehicle.

By taking the impact on economy,society and daily lives of people, I do not think driverless vehicles would be a suitable for public commute as the drawbacks outweigh its benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction—“I do not think those outweigh the disadvantages”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both sides, giving several relevant disadvantages: possible job losses, technical failures, difficulty responding to emergencies, and higher transport costs. The bus incident involving a pregnant passenger is a particularly effective, concrete example that supports your point about the limits of automated decision-making. You also acknowledge safety as a significant advantage and explain why you believe human training could address some of the same risks. To strengthen the response further, develop the economic and technical points with more precise explanation or evidence; for example, clarify how widespread job losses might be mitigated, or distinguish between a system failure and a vehicle’s ability to respond safely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for disadvantages, a paragraph acknowledging an advantage, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “First and foremost,” “Furthermore,” and “The primary advantage” help readers follow the argument, and the personal example is placed where it supports the relevant point. Some cohesion is nevertheless mechanical because several paragraphs begin with similar signposting, while links between ideas are occasionally abrupt. For instance, the move from technical reliability to central control could be made more explicit by showing how these are distinct concerns. The final paragraph also lists “economy, society and daily lives” without drawing together the specific arguments. Use more varied, precise transitions and clearer references to connect each point to your overall judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “unemployment rate,” “technical glitches,” “central operating point,” “commute,” and “recklessly.” These choices make the main arguments clear, and some less common expressions show an effort to discuss the issue precisely. However, several word-choice and collocation problems reduce naturalness: “standard living” would normally be “standard of living,” and “public commute” is less idiomatic than “public transport” or “commuting.” There are also spelling errors, including “diadvantages,” “trasport,” “avaoid,” and “partcular.” Some wording is repetitive, especially repeated references to “driverless vehicles” and “technology.” Aim for more precise collocations, check spelling carefully, and vary repeated terms where the meaning remains clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional and subordinate clauses, as in “If the drivers are properly trained … reckless and harsh driving would decrease significantly.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. In “when public transportation would be replaced,” the conditional construction is not formed naturally; “if public transportation were replaced” would be more accurate. Subject–verb agreement is also inconsistent in “technical glitches is” and “one of the passenger was.” Other examples include “a suitable for public commute” and “as instant decision could not have been made,” where article use needs attention. Review agreement, articles, and conditional forms, then proofread sentence endings and punctuation. More consistent accuracy across these structures would make the argument easier to read.

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