Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 4 Writing Task 2: Driverless Vehicles
Cambridge IELTS 16 · Test 4 · Academic Writing Task 2Advantages and disadvantagesTechnology
The question predicts that in the future all cars, buses and trucks will be driverless, so the only people inside will be passengers. Candidates must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of this and say whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. 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? Write at least 250 words.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.
How to read the question
- This is an advantages and disadvantages essay with an evaluative question: Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages requires a clear judgement, not just two lists.
- The scope is all vehicles, including buses and trucks, not only private cars, so effects on public transport, freight and professional drivers are relevant.
- Treat the situation as a hypothetical future: discuss what would happen if all vehicles were driverless, and avoid arguing about whether the technology is possible.
- Key advantages include safety (most accidents involve human error), mobility for people who cannot drive, efficiency and productive travel time.
- Key disadvantages include job losses for drivers, cyber security and system failures, legal responsibility in accidents, and cost.
- Your judgement should appear in the introduction and the conclusion, and the body should give more weight to the side you support, or explain why its benefits are more significant.
Suggested position
Although a fully driverless transport system would bring serious challenges, particularly for professional drivers, I believe its advantages, above all the dramatic improvement in road safety, would clearly outweigh its drawbacks.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the prediction that all cars, buses and trucks will become driverless, then state that, despite some problems, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
- 2
Body paragraph 1: disadvantages
Discuss the loss of jobs for taxi, bus and lorry drivers, the risk of hacking or software failure, and unclear legal responsibility when accidents happen. Briefly note that these risks can be managed through retraining, regulation and security standards.
- 3
Body paragraph 2: advantages
Argue that most road accidents are caused by human error such as tiredness, speeding or drink-driving, so driverless vehicles could save many lives. Add greater independence for elderly and disabled people, smoother traffic flow and the chance to use travel time productively.
- 4
Conclusion
Restate that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because saving lives and increasing independence matter more than the problems, which can be reduced with good planning.
Ideas and arguments
- Human error, such as fatigue, distraction, speeding and drink-driving, causes the majority of road accidents, so automated vehicles could greatly reduce deaths and injuries.
- Elderly people, people with disabilities and children could travel independently without relying on others.
- Computer-controlled vehicles could travel closer together and choose efficient routes, reducing congestion and fuel use.
- Passengers could work, read or rest during journeys instead of concentrating on driving.
- Millions of professional drivers of taxis, buses and lorries could lose their jobs, causing unemployment in the short term.
- Driverless systems could be hacked or suffer software failures, potentially causing many accidents at once.
- It is unclear who would be legally responsible in a crash: the passenger, the manufacturer or the software developer.
- Driverless vehicles and the infrastructure they need would be expensive, at least at first.
Band 8+ model answer
300 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
It has been predicted that, in the future, every car, bus and lorry will drive itself, carrying only passengers. Although such a transformation would create significant challenges, I believe its benefits would clearly outweigh its drawbacks.
Admittedly, a fully autonomous transport system would have serious disadvantages. The most immediate would be the loss of employment for millions of professional drivers, from taxi drivers to the operators of long-distance freight lorries, many of whom might struggle to find alternative work. There are also concerns about safety of a different kind: if vehicles were controlled by software, a cyber attack or a system failure could cause numerous accidents simultaneously. Moreover, it is not yet clear who would be held liable after a collision, the passenger, the manufacturer or the programmer. Nevertheless, these problems could be reduced through retraining schemes, strict security standards and new legislation.
The advantages, on the other hand, would be far-reaching. Above all, the vast majority of road accidents are caused by human error, such as fatigue, distraction, speeding or drink-driving. Machines do not become tired or careless, so driverless vehicles could save a huge number of lives every year. Secondly, they would give genuine independence to people who are currently unable to drive, including elderly people and those with disabilities, allowing them to travel to work, shops and hospitals without relying on others. In addition, computer-controlled vehicles could travel at steady speeds and choose the most efficient routes, easing congestion, while passengers would be free to work or rest during their journeys.
In conclusion, while the transition to driverless transport would threaten some jobs and raise new security and legal questions, these difficulties could be managed. The potential to prevent deaths on the roads and to increase mobility for millions of people makes the advantages considerably more important.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Response
- The essay discusses both disadvantages and advantages in depth, covers cars, buses and trucks, and gives a clear, consistent judgement that the benefits outweigh the problems, with reasons for that weighting.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- The disadvantages are dealt with first so that the stronger side comes last, each paragraph has a clear topic sentence, and linkers such as admittedly, nevertheless and above all show the logical relationship between ideas.
- Lexical Resource
- Topic vocabulary such as autonomous, human error, liability, made redundant and reduced mobility is used accurately, along with precise hedging such as could greatly reduce.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The answer uses second conditionals for the hypothetical future, passive forms, relative clauses and concessive structures accurately and flexibly.
Useful vocabulary
- driverless vehicles
- vehicles that are controlled by computers rather than by a person
- autonomous
- able to operate without human control
- human error
- mistakes made by people, such as misjudging distance or losing concentration
- road fatalities
- deaths caused by traffic accidents
- drink-driving
- driving after drinking alcohol
- traffic congestion
- a situation where roads are full of vehicles and traffic moves slowly
- professional drivers
- people who drive as their job, such as taxi, bus and lorry drivers
- be made redundant
- lose your job because it is no longer needed
- retraining
- learning new skills for a different job
- cyber attack
- an attempt to damage or control a computer system illegally
- liability
- legal responsibility for something, especially damage or injury
- reduced mobility
- difficulty moving or travelling, for example because of age or disability
- outweigh
- be greater or more important than something else
Common mistakes
- Listing advantages and disadvantages without ever saying which side is greater, which leaves the question unanswered.
- Discussing only private cars and ignoring buses and trucks, which are explicitly mentioned.
- Arguing that driverless vehicles will never work, instead of evaluating the situation described in the question.
- Giving a conclusion that contradicts the introduction, for example saying the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and then that the risks are too great.
- Making unsupported claims such as driverless cars will end all accidents, rather than more careful statements like could greatly reduce.
- Repeating driverless cars many times instead of using paraphrases such as autonomous vehicles and self-driving transport.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- This question about driverless cars, buses and trucks is Writing Task 2 of Test 4 in Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic, published in 2021.
- Do I need to give my opinion?
- Yes. The question asks whether you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, so state your judgement in the introduction and support it to the conclusion.
- Should I write about both sides equally?
- Discuss both sides, but make it clear which is more significant and why. Many writers put the weaker side first and finish with the side they support.
- How many words should I write?
- Write at least 250 words; around 270-300 words gives enough space to weigh both sides and reach a clear conclusion.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.