Scorify.uzThe question
Vehicles that can drive themselves without a human driver are being tested in several countries and may become common in the future. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Write at least 250 words.
What the question asks
Weigh the benefits of self-driving cars against the drawbacks and then say which side is stronger. Plan two advantages, two disadvantages and a clear judgement, and keep examples realistic, such as safety, jobs, cost and software failures.
Essay plan
- Introduction: Introduce the technology and say whether you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
- Body 1: advantages: Fewer accidents caused by human error, access for people who cannot drive, and less traffic through smoother driving.
- Body 2: disadvantages: Job losses for drivers, high cost, hacking and technical faults, and unclear legal responsibility after a crash.
- Conclusion: Give your judgement, such as that the benefits win in the long term if rules and safety checks are strong.
Band 7+ sample essay
Driverless vehicles, once an idea from science fiction, are now being tested on public roads in several countries. Like any new technology, they bring both benefits and risks. In my opinion, the advantages are greater, provided that the technology is introduced with care.
The most important advantage is safety. A large proportion of road accidents are caused by tiredness, distraction or careless behaviour, and a computer does not become sleepy or check its phone. If the technology works as intended, it could save many lives. Self-driving cars would also give independence to elderly and disabled people who cannot drive at present. Furthermore, connected vehicles can keep an even speed and a safe distance, which may reduce traffic jams in cities.
Nevertheless, there are real disadvantages. Millions of people earn a living as taxi, bus and lorry drivers, and widespread automation could leave many of them unemployed unless they are retrained. The vehicles are also expensive at first, so early benefits may go only to wealthier consumers. Another concern is reliability: software can fail, and a system connected to the internet may be attacked by hackers. In addition, it is still unclear who should be held responsible when an automated car causes a crash, the owner or the manufacturer.
Even so, these problems seem manageable. Governments can set safety standards, require extensive testing and fund training for workers whose jobs are affected. Starting with limited routes, such as city centres or motorways, would also let engineers learn from real conditions.
In conclusion, self-driving cars carry risks, but their potential to make roads safer and more inclusive outweighs the drawbacks if they are regulated properly.
273 words.
Why this essay scores well
- Task Response: every part of the question is answered and the position stays consistent from the introduction to the conclusion.
- Coherence and Cohesion: each paragraph has one clear idea, linked with natural connectors rather than a list of memorised phrases.
- Lexical Resource: topic vocabulary is precise and varied, without forcing rare words.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a mix of simple and complex sentences, with conditionals and relative clauses used accurately.
Useful vocabulary
- human error — mistakes made by people
- distraction — something that takes attention away
- traffic jam — a long line of slow or stopped vehicles
- automation — use of machines to do work done by people
- unemployed — without a job
- reliability — the quality of working well each time
- hacker — a person who illegally enters computer systems
- be held responsible — be considered to be to blame
Common mistakes on this question
- Describing how the technology works instead of evaluating advantages and disadvantages.
- Not giving a final judgement when the question asks whether advantages outweigh disadvantages.
- Presenting science fiction ideas, such as flying cars, as if they were facts.
Study guides
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Frequently asked questions
What type of essay is this IELTS Task 2 question?
It is a advantages and disadvantages question. Weigh the benefits of self-driving cars against the drawbacks and then say which side is stronger. Plan two advantages, two disadvantages and a clear judgement, and keep examples realistic, such as safety, jobs, cost and software failures.
How many words should the essay be?
Write at least 250 words. Most strong answers are 260–290 words, planned in about five minutes and completed in 40 minutes.
How many paragraphs should I write?
Four paragraphs work well: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Each body paragraph needs one main idea, an explanation and an example.