Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-15
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)
REVOLUTIONARY ADVANCE IN TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY IN LAST TWO DECADES. IT IS OFTEN ARGUED THAT IN THE FUTURE, PRIVATE VEHICALES SUCH AS CARS, TWO-WHEELER, BUSES AND TRUCKS WILL BE RUNS AUTOMATICALLY WITHOUT DRIVER. THE INDIVIDUALS WHO TRAVELLING ONLY INSIDE THESE VEHICALES WILL BE USERS AND PASSENGERS ONLY.WHILE THIS TREND HAS BOTH BENEFITS AND DEMERITS, I BELIEVE THAT ADVANTAGES OUTWEIGHT THE DRAWBACKS FOR TWO MAIN REASONS.
THE PRIMARY ADVANTAGE OF THIS DEVELOPMENT IS THAT AUTOMATION IN VEHICLES IMPROVED ROAD SAFETY AND SECURITY SPECIALLY IF CAR RUNS DRIVERLESS. THIS IS BECAUSE HUMAN DRIVERS CAN BECOME DISTRACTED, TIRED OR MAKE POOR DECISIONS WHILE DRVING. FURTHERMORE, IN-BUILD NEW FEATURES LIKE NEVIGATION, MODERN GPS SYSTEM, SENSORS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, CAMERAS AND MACHINE LEARING MONITOR SURROUNDING AND REACT DURING THE CRUCIAL AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. TO EXEMPLIFY, TESLA'S DRIVERLESS CYBER TRUCK AND BYD'S TUCKS ABLE TO OPERATE 100% WORKLOAD IN SHANGHAI LOGISTIC HUB LOCATED IN SHANGHAI PORT, CHAINA. THEREFORE, THIS DEVELOPMENT CAN BE CONSIDERD LARGELY BENEFICIAL.
DESPITE THESE BENEFITS, THERE ARE SOME DISADVANTAGES. FIRSTLY, TECHNICAL FAILURES AND SAFETY RISKS. TO BE MORE SPECIFIC, DRIVERLESS CAR DEPEND HEAVILY ON FEATURES LIKE CAMERAS, SENSORS, NEVIGATION. SYSTEM FAILURE AND INCORRECT DIECISION CAUSE ACCIDENTS AS WELL AS HARMFUL FOR OTHER INDIVIDUALS SPECIALLY WHEN THE DRIVERLESS VEHICALS USE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND IN CROWED AREA. ADDITIONALLY, CURRANT TECHNOLOGY STILL HAS LIMITATIONS, SYSTEM LIKELY BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE AND WORKABLE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY PERSONAL ADVANTAGES FOR PASSENGERS SUCH AS PASSNGERS WILL BE ABLE O WORK, RELAX OR USE THEIR PHONE WHILE TRVELLING.
IN CONCLUSION, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME LIMITATION AND INACCURACY IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY SPECIALLY IN DRIVERLESS VEHICALES, I BELIEVE THAT IT CAN BE IMPROVED IN FUTURE AND DRIVERLESS CAN BECOME MORE EFFICIENT. THERFORE, THE MERITS CLEARLY OUTWEIGH THE DISADVANTAGES.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of driverless vehicles and clearly states a position that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. The ideas are relevant, such as road safety, technological features, technical failures, and personal convenience for passengers. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or repetitive, and the use of all-caps for the title/headings shows an unconventional format. Examples like Tesla and BYD in Shanghai are provided to support the arguments, aligning well with Band 6 descriptors where all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, though some areas lack full extension.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement and is divided into logical paragraphs reflecting an introduction, body paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'TO EXEMPLIFY' and 'DESPITE THESE BENEFITS' are overly abrupt or capitalized, and referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., dangling modifiers and abrupt topic shifts between sentences). Paragraphing is used, but internal flow suffers from mechanical transitions and a lack of smooth signposting, matching the Band 6 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for the topic, including terms like 'automation', 'logistics hub', and 'artificial intelligence'. However, there are numerous spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'VEHICALES', 'RUNS', 'DEMERITS', 'OUTWEIGHT', 'IN-BUILD', 'NEVIGATION', 'LEARING', 'TUCKS', 'DIECISION', 'CURRANT', 'TRVELLING', and 'THERFORE'. These errors show limited control over less common vocabulary and spelling, though communication is generally maintained, placing this performance at Band 5.5, which rounds to 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and relative clauses ('WHILE THIS TREND HAS BOTH BENEFITS...', 'SPECIALLY IF CAR RUNS DRIVERLESS'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('vehicles will be runs', 'driverless car depend'), article usage, and missing plural markers. Punctuation is also weak, marked by run-on sentences and the use of all-caps. While meaning is usually conveyed despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips places the performance firmly in the Band 5 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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