Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-24

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 years ,driverless cars has become increasingly common in many parts of the world. Although this development may give rise to certain challenges. I believe that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. Particularly in term of More Independenccy and lower accident rates.

The most significant advantage of driverless cars is that it provide more independency for disable persons. This is mainly because its helpful for disable people who cannot drive by itself. As a result, they can also go anywhere, where they want to go. A clear example of this can be seen in asia where the numbers of disable person are increasing day by day. Therefore, this aspect of driverless vehicles can have a particularly postive impact on society.

Another important advantage is that it reduces road accident. This is largely because it maintains the vehicle speed. This lead to reduction in accidents For instance, driverless cars will maintain their speed as well as automed system will not get tired. Consequently, reduce accidents can contribute considerably to lower death rates, further strengthening the cafe for driverless buses.

In conclusion, while more independency and lower accident rates may have some drawbacks. I personally believe that these are outweighed by its benefits. In particular, its positive effects on more independency and lower accidents make it a worthwhile development overall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, the essay fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, coming in at 218 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, as the arguments remain somewhat superficial and repetitive. While the two main points—increased independence for disabled individuals and improved road safety—are relevant, they are not fully extended or supported with sufficient depth to reach a higher band. The conclusion is also quite brief and merely restates the introduction without adding new insight.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'The most significant advantage', 'As a result', and 'In conclusion' are used to link sentences and paragraphs. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by grammatical errors. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels somewhat formulaic. To improve, you should focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the transition between ideas is more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There is noticeable repetition of words like 'independency' (which is non-standard; 'independence' is preferred) and 'accident'. Some word choices are imprecise, such as 'cafe' instead of 'case' and 'automed' instead of 'automated'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the presence of spelling errors limit the score. To improve, you should aim to use more precise synonyms and collocations related to technology and transportation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('driverless cars has become', 'it provide'), incorrect pronoun usage ('by itself' instead of 'by themselves'), and punctuation errors. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from being considered accurate. You need to focus on subject-verb agreement, pluralisation, and consistent verb tense usage to improve your control over complex structures.

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

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