Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-01

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 predicted that technology will completely replace humans

drivers. In today's world, the technology such as driverless cars has both advantages and disadvantages. In this essay I will discuss both.

Some people argue that this kind of technology will prove beneficial for the world. While others argue that this technology has also drawbacks. I strongly believe that cars should not be driverless. To begin with, millions worldwide of drivers are employed in transport companies. Transitioning to completely driverless transport will eliminate millions of driving jobs worldwide. Millions of delivery drivers, truck drivers, and taxi operators worldwide will need to find entirely new paths of income.

Secondly, in driverless cars a minor software fault can become a cause of serious accidents on a highway. Current self-driving technology struggles heavily in severe weather. Heavy rain, fog and snowstorms can blind vehicles' cameras and sensors.

The transition to driverless cars also has some benefits. Firstly, autonomous vehicles eliminate human errors like distracted driving, speeding, etc, which cause over 90% of traffic accidents. Secondly, driverless cars can communicate with each other and traffic infrastructure to optimize routes, maintain consistent speeds, and reduce the stop-and-go patterns that cause traffic jams. Driverless vehicles also provide the abilities of smooth driving and better routes. Moreover, the main benefit of driverless vehicles is that they can reduce fuel consumption. This transition can also reduce pollution.

In conclusion, driverless vehicles have numerous drawbacks but the ratio of advantages is higher than disadvantages. People can hire a taxi on just one click and the fares have fixed costs. So through this transition there is no need for bargaining. It can save time and restrict the customers from the debate about rent. Overall, it will prove very beneficial in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, attempting to discuss both advantages and disadvantages of driverless vehicles, but the position is contradictory. In the introduction and body paragraphs, the writer states that cars should not be driverless due to job losses and safety risks. However, in the conclusion, the writer abruptly changes stance, asserting that 'the ratio of advantages is higher than disadvantages.' This shift indicates that the position is not always clear throughout. Furthermore, while some relevant ideas are presented, such as unemployment and reduced traffic accidents, certain points remain under-developed. The final paragraph introduces tangential points about taxi bookings, fixed fares, and avoiding bargaining, which do not directly address the prompt's core question regarding whether advantages of driverless vehicles outweigh disadvantages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but the overall progression is disrupted by the sudden shift in opinion in the final paragraph. Cohesive devices are used repetitively and at times inaccurately, such as the frequent reliance on 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover'. Paragraphing is attempted, but ideas within paragraphs are not always logically grouped or smoothly connected. For instance, the transition from discussing fuel consumption and pollution in the middle of a paragraph to concluding thoughts in the final section lacks clear logical flow. Referencing can also be unclear, making it occasionally difficult to follow the progression of the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'autonomous vehicles', 'optimize routes', and 'fuel consumption', but there are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'hire a taxi on just one click' instead of 'with a single click', and 'fares have fixed costs'. Repetition of basic words like 'worldwide', 'drivers', and 'vehicles' is frequent. While communication is generally maintained despite these lexical limitations, the frequent inaccuracies and lack of precision prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a limited range of grammatical structures. While there are some correct simple sentences, attempts at complex sentences are often faulty or restricted by frequent errors. There are noticeable mistakes with articles, plurals, prepositions, and word order, such as 'technology such as driverless cars', 'millions worldwide of drivers', and 'the abilities of smooth driving'. Punctuation and verb forms also contain occasional errors that cause some difficulty for the reader. The mix of structures lacks the flexibility and variety required for higher bands, and the frequency of grammatical mistakes remains noticeable throughout the text.

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

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