Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-28

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)

In years to come, all the automobiles will completely undergo automation leading to disappearance of drivers. Although this trend may have some advantages, for instance, prevention of accidents occurring currently due to human errors. I believe the disadvantages outweigh such merits as the chances of mishaps will never be zero as well as there will be challenges in recognizing who bears responsibility in those cases. This essay will outline some advantages before explaining why disadvantages overshadows it.

At present, there are many reported accidents occurring because of drivers' carelessness. Statistically, the number in the US itself is increasing in the last 5 years with the majority of these cases being attributed to drivers being drunk. When driverless vehicles completely replaces the current transportation practice, then such accidents can be mitigated to greater extent. Even the systems running on a trial amongst human drivers, for instance, 'Walmo cabs' (a driverless taxi service) in the US, reportedly have very less reported accidents and those reported are also minor cases that occurred because of human drivers in other vehicles. That is why, driverless vehicles are being preferred by people.

However, a critical issue persists with such trend. Since the system itself has not been 100% effective with engineers mentioning that the accuracy can be maximized but not in perfection, there has not been proper addressing of scenarios related to commotions caused by driverless vehicles. It is not yet clear as to who bears the responsibility in case such vehicles hit someone or run down a cliff amidst carrying passengers. Furthermore, there are more than a million drivers within the US itself and many more around the world, when driverless vehicles become common then all these people will be unemployed. This causes disruption in global economy and affect a large number of people financially and emotionally. That is why, the trend of going driverless has more disadvantages as compared to the advantages it brings.

To sum up, while driverless vehicle will help in preventing any accidents resulting due to negligence from humans, I believe the effect it has on the global economy and people's lives, and not having 100% reliability in itself make disadvantages to be more prominent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant, covering safety benefits versus economic disruption and liability issues. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the safety argument is well-supported with examples, the economic argument regarding unemployment is a bit brief. The essay maintains a clear position throughout, though the introduction contains a sentence fragment ('Although this trend may have some advantages, for instance, prevention of accidents occurring currently due to human errors.') which slightly impacts the flow of the argument. Overall, the task is well-addressed with a logical structure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the advantages from the disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'To sum up' are used to guide the reader. However, there are some minor issues with referencing and flow; for example, the transition between the safety argument and the liability issue could be smoother. The use of cohesive devices is generally effective, though occasionally slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is clear, and the central topic of each paragraph is easily identifiable.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with attempts at topic-specific language such as 'automation', 'mitigated', 'reliability', and 'disruption'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'overshadows it' (should be 'them' to refer to advantages) and 'very less reported accidents' (should be 'fewer'). Despite these occasional errors, the range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly and with some precision. The student demonstrates an ability to use academic-style vocabulary, which is a positive feature of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('driverless vehicles completely replaces' should be 'replace') and the aforementioned sentence fragment in the introduction. Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some awkward phrasings. While the errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The student shows an attempt to use complex structures, but control over these is inconsistent. Improving the accuracy of verb forms and ensuring complete sentences would help elevate the score in this criterion.

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