Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-29

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 6.0)

Although autonomous driving vehicles offer certain benefits, they also have certain disadvantages. In my view, the benefits clearly outweigh the drawbacks because autoamted driving increases the productivity and safety of the roads.

The principal advantage of automated driving is that it reduces the stress on individuals by treating them as a passenger. This is particularly important as it leads to more productivity and generation of new ideas for people going to their offices. For instance, a study conducted by Oxford University on employees of a corporate office, revealed 40% of the workers that reached office through a driverless vehicle stayed more active and fresh throught an entire day as compared to others. Moreover, these automated cars and trucks will follow the traffic signals strictly as they are programmed by artificial intelligence. This will enhance the road safety resulting in less number of accidents. For example, according to a report by BBC, 1 out of 10 people gets hit by a car running the red light in the city of Lahore. Thus, autonomous driving not only help people in their work life but also make roads more safer.

Nevertheless, there are certain disadvantages, the most signifiacnt of which is the AI itself which is the driver of the vehicle. AI utilizes a number of sensors installed in your vehicle to successfully detect its surroundings, but sometimes it can make a mistake. This may lead to an animal, bird or even a human not being detected, which is right in front of the car leading to serious accidents. However, this drawback is less significant than the advantages and car manufactures are actively working on improving their AI driver software day after another.

In conclusion, despite the risk of not detecting animals or individuals in front of the vehicle, I believe the advantages clearly outweighs the risk, improving road safety and contributing to overall mental health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of driverless vehicles, while clearly stating their position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The position is maintained throughout the response. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of an Oxford University study on employee productivity and a BBC report regarding traffic violations in Lahore. Although the discussion on disadvantages is slightly less detailed than the advantages, the task is fully addressed with well-supported arguments. Overall, the performance aligns well with Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently linked, starting with a clear introduction, followed by well-defined body paragraphs exploring advantages and disadvantages, and concluding with a summary. The student uses a variety of cohesive devices effectively, such as 'The principal advantage', 'Moreover', 'Thus', and 'Nevertheless', although some paragraph transitions could be smoother. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each main idea grouped into its own distinct section. Cohesion is well managed overall, fitting the Band 7 criteria.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, such as 'autonomous driving vehicles', 'productivity', 'artificial intelligence', and 'sensors'. There are some successful attempts at less common lexical items, but minor spelling and word-choice errors occur, such as 'autoamted' instead of 'automated', 'throught' instead of 'throughout', 'signifiacnt', 'manufacures' instead of 'manufacturers', and the awkward phrase 'more safer'. Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and communication is not impeded, which places this response comfortably in the Band 6 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent command of grammar. Examples of complex structures include 'Although autonomous driving vehicles offer certain benefits, they also have certain disadvantages' and relative clauses such as 'which is right in front of the car'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as 'not only help people' instead of 'helps', the comparative error 'more safer', and missing commas in compound-complex structures. While these errors occur, they rarely impede communication, reflecting the characteristics of Band 6 performance.

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