Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12

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 recent decades, the driverless car's market has shown significant performance and we can clearly see a great competition between the car manufacturers for producing a user friendly car which can be fully automatic and it is achieved but i can not be more practical than the expectation because its drawbacks and threats outweigh its advantages.

Initially, the concept driverless cars were introduced because many people often avoid driving a car on a long drive, however, it became a real challenge for government to make roads and the traffic system which can be more ideal for these types of cars to safe them from accidents. For example, in developed countries, governments invested a lot on new and dedicated roads for such type of vehicles but unfortunately the accident rates are still high.

Secondly, the AI algorithm which is used in these vehicles is also not so much advanced and also the cost of these vehicles is so high so only rich people can buy them along with the high risks of accidents and malfunctioning of algorithms. These vehicles are still not operatable in most of the countries. For instance, a recent research shows the production cost of these vehicles require more sales to run the financial ecosystem of the company but now they are facing real challenges after decline in their sales because of the described issues caused by them.

In conclusion, I believe that there are so much less advantages of driverless vehicles which can not outweigh its disadvantages. However, in future the advance technology might overcome these issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention safety concerns and high costs, the arguments lack depth and specific, well-explained examples. For instance, the reference to 'recent research' is vague and does not provide a concrete illustration to support your point. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main idea is fully extended with logical reasoning and clear, relevant examples that directly support your central argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'the described issues caused by them'. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that pronouns and references clearly point back to the intended nouns to create a smoother, more natural progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'manufacturers', 'algorithm', and 'financial ecosystem'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'operatable' (should be 'operational') and 'the driverless car's market' (which is slightly unnatural). Some phrasing is also repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'these vehicles'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition, and ensure that you are using words in their correct grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'the concept driverless cars were introduced' (missing 'of'), 'to safe them' (should be 'to keep them safe'), and 'there are so much less advantages' (should be 'fewer'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization of 'i'. To achieve a higher score, focus on improving your control over sentence construction and reducing these recurring errors in basic grammar and punctuation.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.