Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-08

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)

In the contemporary era, travelling has the pressing issues nowadays. In the future, driverless cars, trucks and buses become common on roads. This means that people will travel as passangers without driving the vechiles themselves. Although this development has some disadvantages, I believe that its advantages outweigh its disandvantages because it can make roads safer and travelling easier.

To begin with, the major advantage is that driverless vechiles reduce road accidents. The main reason of this benefit is that many accidents happen because of human mistakes, such as over speeding, tiredness and careless driving. As a result, people have died and injured from that mistakes. Publically, passengers can feel safer during their journeys. Publically. safer roads cand reduce the pressure on hospitals and emergency services. In the long term, this technology could make road travel muc safer. For example, a driverless car can automatically stop when it detects a person crossing the road.

On the other hand, the disadvantage of driverless cars are technical systems can sometimes fails. Consequently, the accidents could be occurred may be. Then passngers life could be in danger. Furthermore, professional drivers may also lose their jobs. For instance, bus and truck companies may replace some drivers with automated vechiles. However, proper testing and safety rules cand reduce these problems. Therefore, without drivers it could be very risky.

In conclusion, although driverless vechiles may cayse technical and employment problems, I believe their advantages are greater because they can improve road safety and making easier.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both sides by discussing accident reduction, technical failures and possible job losses. The example of a car stopping for a pedestrian supports your safety argument. However, several points are asserted rather than fully explained: for instance, you say safer roads could reduce pressure on hospitals, but do not show how this follows, and the employment disadvantage receives only brief treatment. The conclusion repeats your view but does not develop the comparison between the benefits and risks. The response is also two words below the required minimum. To strengthen the response, explain each main point with a clearer cause-and-effect link and develop why the safety benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within the body paragraphs is uneven, and some connections are unclear. The repeated “Publically” interrupts the safety paragraph, while “Then passengers life could be in danger” does not clearly connect the technical problem to its consequence. The final sentence also combines ideas awkwardly. Organise each paragraph around one main point, then explain it and give an example; remove repeated transitions and use clear references to connect sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “road accidents,” “human mistakes,” “emergency services,” “technical systems” and “automated vehicles.” These choices make the subject clear, and phrases such as “proper testing and safety rules” are appropriate to the discussion. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “passangers,” “vechiles,” “disandvantages,” “cand” and “muc.” “Publically” is also repeated and does not fit the intended meaning in context. Some phrases are unnatural, such as “the main reason of this benefit” and “people have died and injured.” Build accuracy by checking spelling carefully and learning common collocations for discussing causes, consequences and safety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a concession in “Although this development has some disadvantages” and a conditional example beginning “when it detects.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. Examples include “the disadvantage … are technical systems can sometimes fails,” where the clause structure and subject–verb agreement are faulty, and “the accidents could be occurred may be,” which has an incorrect passive construction. There are also errors in “people have died and injured from that mistakes” and “their advantages … can improve road safety and making easier.” Practise building accurate subject–verb patterns and use one clear clause structure at a time before adding subordinate clauses.

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

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