Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17

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)

It is often argued that driverless vehicles are expected to become more common in future. People only travel as a passenger because cars, busses, and trucks will have no need for human drivers. It can also enhance the mobility and road safety. Although it contains some disadvantages but their advantages outweigh the disadvsantage because it can improve the road safety and also make the traveling more efficient.

There are several reasons, but one main reason is that it can improve the road safety which can reduce the accident. Many accidents are caused by human error such as tiredness, stress, and over speed. Although driverless vehicles use modern and heavy technology which can control the over speed and also control the other mannulas which can reduce the road accident. These types of modern technology can save others lives. Moreover, disable persons can also enjoy the ride because they no longer need of human. People can enjoy their journey while reading books, listening to music and doing some other activities. Driverless vehicles can also overcome the traffic in busy areas.

On the other hand, there are also some disadvantages. A major problem is that a person who is working as a car, bus and truck driver could lose his job. In addition wireless vehicles need heavy technology if some technical problem could occur it can cause a dramatic disaster. Another reason is that it is more expensive than other vehicles. So everyone could not be able to afford it. People can trust other transport which is not a good thing.

In conclusion, although driverless vehicles may cause unemployment for people, I believe that it has more advantages because it can improve the road safety and also make traveling more efficient. Therefore, advantages can outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of driverless vehicles and clearly stating a position in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are presented, such as the reduction of human error, improving road safety, and potential job losses; however, some of these ideas lack full extension and suffer from repetition. For instance, the point regarding road safety is restated multiple times without introducing significantly deeper analysis or varied examples. Additionally, phrasing like "Although it contains some disadvantages but their advantages outweigh..." demonstrates minor structural confusion regarding concession. Nevertheless, the main task requirements are met, and the overall position remains clear throughout the essay. This performance aligns best with the Band 6 descriptors, where all parts of the task are addressed, but some areas require more fully developed support and clearer elaboration of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into four distinct paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and a conclusion, showing an overall coherent arrangement. Logical connectors and transitional phrases are used, such as "On the other hand" and "In conclusion," which help guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion are at times mechanical or faulty. For example, sentences within the second paragraph jump abruptly between points about accidents, technology, and disabled passengers without smooth bridging. Paragraphing is present and appropriate, but the internal flow of ideas lacks sophisticated cohesion. This places the response solidly at Band 6, where the overall arrangement is coherent, but cohesive devices can be repetitive, inaccurate, or somewhat mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using topic-specific terms such as "driverless vehicles," "mobility," "unemployment," and "technology." However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. Examples include "over speed" instead of "speeding," "control the other mannulas" (likely meaning maneuvers or mechanisms), and "disable persons" instead of "disabled persons." Furthermore, phrases like "dramatic disaster" sound unnatural in this context. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they demonstrate a lack of precision that prevents the writing from achieving a higher band score. The student attempts less common vocabulary with mixed success, fitting the Band 6 lexical resource descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting complex structures such as conditional and concessive clauses (e.g., "Although driverless vehicles use modern and heavy technology which can control..."). However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent, and frequent errors appear throughout the text. Noticeable grammatical mistakes include "People only travel as a passenger because cars, busses, and trucks will have no need for human drivers" (tense and article usage issues), "everyone could not be able to afford it" (modal confusion), and missing articles or pluralization errors like "reduce the accident" and "save others lives." Despite these errors, the meaning remains comprehensible, and communication is rarely impeded. This performance matches the Band 6 criteria, characterized by a mix of simple and complex structures alongside persistent grammatical errors.

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

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