Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-11

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 5.5)

In the coming years all sort of road transportation such as cars, trucks and huge buses will be running on their own and only passengers will be travelling inside them. We will discuss both the advantages and the disadvantages of this specific scenario before I explain that why I believe the benefits of these driverless vehicles outperform the harms.

Starting from advantages, there is a considerable amount of convenience these driverless vehicles provide to the users. Firstly, these vehicles are accessible by the people who are not able to drive a car, especially the elderly persons and disabled ones. So, it provides a lot of ease and they won't have to stay dependent on others. In case of buses and trucks, if a driver is not needed anymore it wil save a lot of money to the companies as well. Moreover, people can focus on something productive when they no longer have to pay attention on driving while travelling. For instance, a video was rolling over the social media where a person was attending a meeting while travelling in a tesla.

On the other hand, apart from the pros of driverless vehicles, there are some cons as well. No doubt technology is so advanced now a days, but it is never as reliable as human brain. Our sub-conscious mind is always active while we are driving a car but we can not judge if the built-in systems of these cars stop working at a certain time which can be harmful or even dangerous in some situations.

To sum up, I believe that despite of having some disadvantages, there are numerous advantages of self-driving vehicles and in the near future, they will be very popular.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both the advantages and disadvantages as requested. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention accessibility for the elderly and cost savings for companies, these points could be expanded with more depth or specific examples. The counter-argument regarding reliability is relevant but brief. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main point is fully extended with clear reasoning or illustrative examples, rather than just stating the point and moving on to the next.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Starting from advantages', 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand' to guide the reader. However, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is slightly mechanical. Additionally, the concluding paragraph is quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph flows naturally into the next would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accessible', 'productive', and 'sub-conscious'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'all sort of road transportation' (should be 'all sorts of') and 'a video was rolling over the social media' (should be 'circulating on social media'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and avoid informal phrasing to improve your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'explain that why I believe' (redundant 'that'), 'it wil save' (spelling error), 'attention on driving' (should be 'attention to driving'), and 'despite of having' (should be 'despite having'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage to improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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