Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-03

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 7.0)

In the future, technology will enable all vehicles to become autonomous, driven by the growing demand for safer and more convenient transport. In my view, the advantages of this innovation outweigh its disadvantages, and I will illustrate this in the following essay.

Driverless vehicles offer two main advantages. Firstly, they increase passenger safety, as most recorded road accidents occur due to human error, such as when drivers are drunk or deprived of sleep and cannot focus on driving. If automobiles became driver-free, then there is a possibility of a smooth and secure commute on the roads, for instance, self-driving cars can automatically apply the brakes if a pedestrian is crossing the road, which a human driver might miss. Secondly, unmanned transportation provides efficiency and convenience. People of any age, especially the elderly and younger ones, can travel alone. They can also work or study something during travelling, for instance, if a university student has an early morning class, he can revise his notes during commuting, without worrying about driving.

On the other hand, automatic driving also brings some disadvantages to society, mainly unemployment. Many citizens work as bus, truck and taxi drivers, they lose their jobs, as a result, the well-being and prosperity of these people are affected directly. They cannot fulfil their wishes and cannot support their families, for instance, if a person needs cover from this job, then how can he manage his household after losing it. Furthermore, it also increases the risk of technical failure, as sensors fail to work in heavy rain and snow, and the system could be hacked.

In conclusion, although driverless vehicles may cause job losses and technical risk, I believe the benefits of improved road safety and greater convenience clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction—“the advantages … outweigh its disadvantages”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both sides of the question, explaining safety and convenience as benefits and unemployment and technical failure as drawbacks. The examples about automatic braking and a student revising on the way to class help extend the benefits, while the discussion of drivers’ families gives the employment point some support. To strengthen the response further, develop the disadvantages with the same specificity: the possibility of hacking or sensors failing is mentioned but not explained through a likely consequence or example. Some claims, such as accidents occurring mostly through human error, would also benefit from qualification or support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear, effective structure: an introduction states your view, separate paragraphs present advantages and disadvantages, and the conclusion restates your judgement. Progression within the advantages paragraph is easy to follow, with “Firstly” and “Secondly” marking distinct points, and “On the other hand” signals the shift to drawbacks. Examples are generally placed next to the ideas they support. To make the organisation more polished, avoid relying so heavily on explicit sequencing and repeated “for instance”; use a wider range of linking and referencing. The sentence beginning “Many citizens work as bus, truck and taxi drivers” also joins two complete ideas with only a comma, briefly disrupting the otherwise clear flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of topic vocabulary, including “autonomous,” “human error,” “unmanned transportation,” “technical failure,” and “sensors.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and there is some attempt at more formal phrasing. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “driver-free,” “a smooth and secure commute on the roads,” and “needs cover from this job.” “Younger ones” is also less precise than a term such as “young people.” These occasional collocation and word-choice problems keep the vocabulary from showing consistently flexible, precise control. Aim to learn common word partnerships and choose terms that express the intended meaning directly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional forms (“If automobiles became driver-free…”) and subordinate clauses explaining causes and examples. Many sentences are clear, and the meaning remains accessible throughout. Some grammatical errors and awkward constructions remain, however. In “Many citizens work as bus, truck and taxi drivers, they lose their jobs,” two independent clauses are joined with a comma; use a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction. The phrase “if a person needs cover from this job” also has an unclear grammatical construction, and “during travelling” would be more naturally formed as “while travelling.” Greater control of clause boundaries and more consistently natural sentence patterns would improve accuracy.

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