Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-07

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 5.0)

The diagram delineates the stages involved in recycling bottles made of plastics.

Overall, the process comprises of nine distinct stages, commencing with collecting, segregating and mechanical processes which included several equipment. The raw materials produced by the end of the process are used to make final products.

Initially, wastes including plastic bottles are thrown into the dustbins which are accumulated by a lorry, followed by a recycling centre. At this stage, plastic bottles are sorted in the recycling centre manually. The segregated bottles which can be recycled, subsequently compressed into blocks. The huge blocks are passed through a crushing machine, converting the block into small particles prior to washing in a tank. The resultant product is then fed into a machine where fine plastic pellets are formed. These plastic pellets undergo a heating process to produce raw material. At the end of the process, the raw materials are used to manufacture final products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks for an argumentative essay regarding the advantages and disadvantages of driverless vehicles. However, you have written a report describing a process diagram about recycling plastic bottles. Because you have failed to address the task prompt entirely, the score is severely impacted. Furthermore, the response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which further limits the development of any relevant ideas. To improve, ensure you carefully read the prompt instructions and plan your essay structure before writing to ensure your content directly answers the specific question asked.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized as a process description, using transition signals such as 'Initially', 'subsequently', and 'at the end of the process'. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction from the body of the process. While the text is coherent in its own right, it does not relate to the task provided. The use of cohesive devices is generally appropriate for a descriptive task, but the lack of relevance to the actual prompt makes the overall structure ineffective for the required task type.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe a process, using terms like 'delineates', 'segregating', 'compressed', and 'resultant product'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'which included several equipment' (equipment is uncountable) and 'accumulated by a lorry' (collected is more precise). While the vocabulary is adequate for describing a diagram, it does not meet the requirements for an argumentative essay, which would require more abstract and evaluative language. The range is limited by the nature of the topic chosen.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the process comprises of' (comprises does not take 'of') and 'which included several equipment' (should be 'which includes' and 'pieces of equipment'). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the meaning is clear throughout the text. However, the grammatical range is somewhat restricted, and the errors present prevent it from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct usage of prepositions to improve accuracy.

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

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