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
In an attempt to reduce urban pollution and congestion, some cities have introduced vehicle-free days during which private automobiles and motorcycles are restricted in central areas. Although this initiative has certain environmental and social advantages, I believe the drawbacks outweigh the benefits due to the inconvenience it causes and its limited long-term impact.
On the one hand, banning private vehicles temporarily can improve air quality and reduce noise pollution. Without the usual stream of traffic, city centres become cleaner and quieter, offering residents a break from the typical urban chaos. Additionally, such initiatives promote the use of public transport and environmentally friendly alternatives like cycling or walking, which may contribute to healthier lifestyles. For instance, in Bogotá, Colombia, the annual “Car-Free Day” has led to a measurable drop in air pollution for that 24-hour period.
However, these benefits are often short-lived and come at the cost of public inconvenience. Many commuters rely on private vehicles for flexibility, especially those with children, the elderly, or long commutes. Public transportation, while available, may not meet the increased demand during these days, leading to overcrowding and delays. Moreover, local businesses frequently report a decline in customer visits due to reduced accessibility. For example, shop owners in some European cities expressed concern that foot traffic dropped significantly during initial trials of car-free initiatives and that is negative for their businesses.
In conclusion, while vehicle-free days may offer temporary environmental relief and raise awareness about sustainable transport, they often disrupt daily routines and fall short of offering long-term solutions. Therefore, I believe the disadvantages of this practice outweigh the advantages.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Place adverb clearly Original: banning private vehicles temporarily Suggested revision: temporarily banning private vehicles Why it matters: Placing temporarily first makes its scope over the ban immediately clear.
- 2. Use precise description Original: the typical urban chaos Suggested revision: usual urban congestion Why it matters: Congestion names the specific urban condition discussed more precisely than chaos.
- 3. Use formal example marker Original: alternatives like cycling or walking Suggested revision: alternatives such as cycling and walking Why it matters: Such as is more formal for examples, and and suits two jointly available alternatives.
- 4. Clarify the reference Original: which may contribute to healthier lifestyles Suggested revision: activities that may contribute to healthier lifestyles Why it matters: The revision makes cycling and walking, rather than the whole preceding clause, the clear antecedent.
- 5. Use time preposition Original: for Suggested revision: during Why it matters: During is the more natural preposition for an effect occurring within a period.
- 6. Use direct wording Original: come at the cost of public inconvenience Suggested revision: cause considerable public inconvenience Why it matters: The revision states the drawback more directly and naturally.
- 7. Fix day preposition Original: during Suggested revision: on Why it matters: On is the standard preposition used with specified days.
- 8. Use concise phrasing Original: a decline in customer visits Suggested revision: fewer customer visits Why it matters: The revision expresses the reduction more concisely without changing the claim.
- 9. Fix tense and link Original: and that is negative for their businesses Suggested revision: which negatively affected their businesses Why it matters: The relative clause links the business effect clearly and maintains the past tense of the example.
- 10. Sentence rewrite Original: Many commuters rely on private vehicles for flexibility, especially those with children, the elderly, or long commutes. Suggested revision: Many commuters rely on private vehicles for flexibility, especially those travelling with children or elderly people and those with long commutes. Why it matters: The rewrite makes all three elements describe commuters in a grammatically parallel way.
Suggested Rewrites
- banning private vehicles temporarily temporarily banning private vehicles
- the typical urban chaos usual urban congestion
- alternatives like cycling or walking alternatives such as cycling and walking
- which may contribute to healthier lifestyles activities that may contribute to healthier lifestyles
- for during
- come at the cost of public inconvenience cause considerable public inconvenience
Why this response received Band 8.0
The essay gives a direct comparative judgment and supports it with well-developed, relevant discussion of environmental gains, commuter disruption, transport capacity, and business access. Its strongest feature is the controlled progression from acknowledged benefits to more consequential drawbacks; the main limitation is a small amount of awkward phrasing in an otherwise fluent response. The priority is to refine the few imprecise expressions while preserving the clear analytical structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response fully answers the comparative question with a clear position and well-developed, relevant support for both advantages and disadvantages.
Strengthen the evaluation further by explicitly weighing the scale and duration of the competing effects at the end of the drawbacks paragraph.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay is logically sequenced, paragraphs have clear central purposes, and cohesive devices support smooth progression throughout.
Make the transition from the business example to the overall judgment slightly more concise to sharpen the paragraph ending.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise range of topic vocabulary is used naturally, with only isolated wording that is less polished.
Replace awkward expressions such as that is negative for their businesses with a more precise consequence such as reducing revenue.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is handled accurately, and the response is largely error-free apart from minor local awkwardness.
Refine parallel structures in lists, especially the description of commuters with children, elderly dependants, or long journeys.
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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.