Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

Autonomous vehicles are widely expected to replace human drivers within the coming decades. Although this shift raises legitimate concerns about employment and technological reliability, I firmly believe that the benefits, particularly in road safety and efficiency, outweigh the drawbacks.

The most compelling advantage is the potential to save lives. Human error, including fatigue, distraction and drink-driving, is blamed for the overwhelming majority of road accidents. Driverless vehicles, by contrast, never tire or lose concentration, and they can react to hazards within milliseconds. Waymo's robotaxis in American cities, for instance, have reportedly been involved in fewer serious collisions per mile than human-driven cars. In addition, networked vehicles could coordinate their movements to reduce congestion and fuel consumption, which would ease urban gridlock and cut emissions. Elderly and disabled people, who often cannot drive, would also gain greater independence.

Nevertheless, the drawbacks should not be dismissed. Millions of people worldwide earn their living as taxi, bus and lorry drivers, and mass automation could render them jobless almost overnight. Furthermore, the technology is not infallible. A pedestrian was killed by a self-driving Uber test vehicle in Arizona in 2018, and connected vehicles might be vulnerable to hackers, who could paralyse entire road networks.

However, these problems are largely manageable. Governments can retrain displaced workers for roles in vehicle maintenance, logistics and software oversight, just as previous technological revolutions created new industries. Similarly, rigorous testing, strict regulation and robust cybersecurity can steadily improve reliability, whereas the toll of human error is a permanent feature of the current system.

In conclusion, although unemployment and technical risks pose real challenges, safer roads, lower emissions and improved mobility make driverless vehicles a change worth embracing, provided that authorities manage the transition responsibly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of driverless vehicles and clearly stating a position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The writer presents well-developed ideas, supporting them with relevant examples such as Waymo robotaxis and the 2018 Uber test vehicle incident in Arizona. The arguments regarding road safety, efficiency, employment impacts, and technological vulnerabilities are thoroughly explored and extended throughout the essay, demonstrating a strong understanding of the prompt requirements and meeting the criteria for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from introduction to advantages, disadvantages, rebuttals, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used naturally and effectively, such as 'The most compelling advantage', 'Nevertheless', 'Furthermore', and 'However'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the reader can easily follow the progression of arguments without any confusion or obtrusive transitions, fully aligning with the Band 8 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The writer demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible vocabulary range suitable for an academic response. Less common lexical items are used skilfully and naturally, including phrases like 'legitimate concerns', 'overwhelming majority', 'urban gridlock', 'mass automation', and 'vulnerable to hackers'. Word choice and collocations are generally precise, with only occasional minor stylistic imperfections. Spelling and word formation are entirely accurate throughout the text, allowing the writer to convey complex ideas clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response exhibits a wide range of complex structures used with a high degree of control. The majority of sentences are error-free, featuring sophisticated subordinate clauses, conditional structures, and participial phrases (e.g., 'Waymo's robotaxis in American cities, for instance, have reportedly been involved...', 'provided that authorities manage the transition responsibly'). Punctuation is handled accurately, and grammatical errors are virtually non-existent. This level of syntactic variety and accuracy firmly places the grammar performance within the Band 8 category.

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