Some cities have vehicle-free days when private cars, trucks, and motorcycles are banned from the city centre. People are encouraged to use public transportation such as buses, taxis, and metro on vehicle-free days. Do the advantages of having vehicle-free days outweigh the disadvantages?
Sample Response
The urban landscape is livelyurban landscape pulsates with life but is often choked by traffic congestionchoked by the throes of traffic. In response, some cities have embraced the concept of car-free days, temporarily banning private vehicles from their centrestemporarily banishing private vehicles from their hearts. While disruptions and inconveniences arise, the environmental and societal benefits make a compelling caseenvironmental and societal benefits paint a compelling picture, suggesting that the advantages of these car-free initiatives outweigh the disadvantages.
Objections to car-free days often cite disruptions to daily routines and economic concerns. Businesses fear decreased foot traffic, while commuters struggle to use alternative transportgrapple with navigating alternative transportation. These drawbacks deserve consideration. For example, shop owners in central Madrid initially reported a drop in customer visits when car-free zones were introduced, citing reduced accessibility as a major concern.
However, the most immediate and tangible benefit is a dramatic improvement in air quality. With exhaust fumes abating, car-free days offer city dwellers a period of cleaner aira taste of pure air, reducing harmful pollutants and allergens. This translates into immediate health benefits, particularly for vulnerable populations such as childrenvulnerable populations like children and the elderly. Furthermore, car-free days create opportunities for vibrant public spacesunlock the potential for vibrant public spaces. Reclaimed streets become pedestrian-friendly public spacespedestrianised playgrounds, buzzing with activity. Street performers entertain, vendors display their wares, and families enjoy picnics and leisurely strolls. This fosters a sense of community and belonging, transforming the city centre from a congested thoroughfare into a place for human interaction and shared experiences. For instance, some European cities saw their car-free days developsome European cities saw their car-free day morph into a massive street food festival, drawing in locals and tourists alike, and injecting vitality into the city's core.
In conclusion, while car-free days are not without their challenges, the advantages they offer paint a compelling picture. Improved air quality, vibrant public spaces, and a strengthened sense of community are substantial benefitsstand as weighty benefits, outweighing the inconveniences faced by businesses and commuters.
Why this response received Band 8.5
The essay directly answers the comparison and develops a convincing case through air quality, public health, community space, and economic-access concerns. Its strongest feature is vivid, precise development supported by relevant examples; the main limitation is only slight rhetorical excess and an underexplored response to business disruption. The highest-priority improvement is to explain one practical mitigation for affected commuters or shops, making the advantages-over-disadvantages judgement even more robust.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response fully examines disadvantages and multiple substantial benefits, sustaining a clear judgement that the advantages outweigh the costs.
Add one concise mitigation for reduced accessibility or commuter disruption to reinforce why those drawbacks remain secondary.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing and progression are highly effective, moving logically from acknowledged objections to stronger environmental and social benefits and a decisive conclusion.
Keep the same clear structure while making the internal shift from air quality to public-space benefits slightly more concise.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, vivid, and precise, with sophisticated control of language for urban transport, public health, and community life.
Moderate a few highly figurative phrases so the academic tone remains consistently direct as well as engaging.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex structures is used flexibly and accurately, with punctuation and sentence boundaries very well controlled.
Preserve this accuracy while varying the occasional repeated participial ending in the longest descriptive sentences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some cities have vehicle-free days when private cars, trucks, and motorcycles are banned from the city centre. People are encouraged to use public transportation such as buses, taxis, and metro on vehicle-free days. Do the advantages of having vehicle-free days outweigh the disadvantages?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.