Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-04

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 5.0)

It is often believed that in the upcoming years, robotics vehicles will be preferred which means there will be no drivers in cars, buses and trucks. These vehicles will contain only passengers. I believe that advantages of driverless cars do not outweigh the major drawbacks including increased chances of accidents as a result of machine failure and higher unemployement.

There are various disadvantages of introducing robotic vehicles with unexpected machine failure being the most prominent one.It is a well known fact that driverless vehicles will be completely controlled by machines which may lead to a sudden breakdown of the vehicle. Not only will this will be harmful for the passengers sitting inside the vehicles, but it may also harm the nearby traffic. For instance,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You state a clear position in the introduction: you believe the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages, and you identify machine failure and unemployment as concerns. However, the response addresses the question only minimally. It begins to explain the risk of breakdowns and their possible effects on passengers and nearby traffic, but the example is left unfinished after “For instance,” and unemployment is named without any explanation. The advantages of driverless vehicles are not discussed, so the comparison required by the question is missing. The response also does not meet the 250-word minimum, which leaves the argument substantially incomplete. Develop both sides, explain why one outweighs the other, and support each main point with a complete example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction gives your position, followed by a paragraph introducing a disadvantage. Linking expressions such as “which means,” “including,” and “Not only … but also” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, there is not enough development to create clear overall progression, and the second paragraph ends abruptly with “For instance,” rather than completing its example. The ideas about machine failure, traffic risks, and unemployment are not connected into a sustained argument, while the advantages are absent. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the main points and ensure each paragraph moves from a clear claim to explanation and evidence before linking back to your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “machine failure,” “breakdown,” “passengers,” and “nearby traffic,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “the most prominent one.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise: “robotics vehicles” and “robotic vehicles” are not the usual terms, and “upcoming years” is less natural here than “coming years.” “Higher unemployement” contains a spelling error and would be clearer as “increased unemployment.” The range is limited by the short response, and some repetition of “vehicles” and “machines” reduces flexibility. Aim for accurate topic collocations and vary wording where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which means there will be no drivers” and the correlative structure “Not only … but also.” Most of the intended meaning can be followed, but errors and awkward constructions remain. In “Not only will this will be harmful,” the auxiliary “will” is repeated; write “Not only will this be harmful …”. The sentence beginning “It is a well known fact” also needs a hyphen in the compound modifier “well-known,” and the paragraph-ending fragment after “For instance,” is incomplete. The opening sentence is grammatically cumbersome, making the relationship between robotics and vehicles unclear. Practise building complete, controlled sentences and check auxiliary verbs, punctuation, and sentence boundaries.

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