Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-31

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 discussed that in the future all the cars, buses and trucks will be driverless and the only people travelling inside these vehicles will be passengers. Many people believe, there will be numerous disadvantage of such advancing techology while I disagree with this opinion.

The idea of driverless travelling for passengers is fascinating. There are many advantages of driverless vehicles. One can travel to their desired location in complete secure, comfortable mode of transport. Vehicles would be automated making them more advanced in technology and this could reduce the number of road traffic accidents. For instance, it is also a better choice for people like me who are introvert and wants to avoid small-talks with the drivers. I can enjoy my travel in silence. One of the major advantage of driverless vehicles would be that there would be no human error. Also, passengers do not have to depend on a driver or wait for their availablity. In this way, an easier access to vehicles can be provided.

However, every emerging technology needs to be tested and made secure before making it available to the public. Despite the fact that driverless vehicles sound more reliable, one should do their own research and take all the precautionary measures before travelling. Another disadvantage is that the fuel price of such vehicles might be expensive making it difficult for the passengers to travel.

In conclusion, every technology has its own pros and cons. Automotive companies should make some policies such as speed limit, monitoring the passenger and a 24/7 helpline.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You state a clear position—“I disagree with this opinion”—and give relevant benefits, including reduced human error, easier access to vehicles, and greater comfort. You also acknowledge concerns about safety and cost, so both sides of the question are addressed. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the safety point is framed as advice to research and take precautions rather than explaining a specific risk of driverless vehicles, and the possible expense is not supported with an example. The conclusion recommends policies but does not clearly restate whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The response is 248 words, two words below the required minimum; the 10 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop the comparison and make your final judgement explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “However,” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the discussion. Within the advantages paragraph, though, several points are placed one after another without enough explanation of how they connect or which are most important. The shift from the general safety concern to advising passengers to do their own research is also not fully clear. The conclusion introduces policies without linking them directly to the earlier arguments or resolving the outweigh question. To strengthen progression, organise each paragraph around a main claim, explain it, and use clear references to connect examples and consequences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “driverless vehicles,” “automated,” “human error,” “road traffic accidents,” and “precautionary measures.” These choices make the subject clear, and phrases such as “emerging technology” show an attempt to use more formal language. However, several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision: “complete secure” is not a natural phrase, “small-talks” is awkward in this context, and “availablity” is misspelled. “Fuel price” is also unclear when discussing the cost of using these vehicles. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling, while varying repeated general terms such as “vehicles” and “technology.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the contrast introduced by “Despite the fact that” and the result structure “making it difficult for the passengers to travel.” The main ideas remain understandable, but errors occur in agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “Many people believe, there will be” has an unnecessary comma and an awkward clause structure; “numerous disadvantage” needs a plural noun; and “people like me who are introvert and wants” has agreement and number errors. “One of the major advantage” also needs a plural noun after “one of the.” Review subject–verb agreement, singular and plural forms, and punctuation around reporting clauses. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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

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