Many people believe that bicycle is a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport. However, it is still unpopular in many countries. What are the reasons for that? What could be done to encourage the use of bicycles among the wider population?
Sample Response
It has been a while since the eco-friendly transportation "bicycle" was first introduced, and its popularity seems to have declined in many countries over time. However, some effective measures could help encourage people in society to use it more widely. A few decades ago, the bicycle was one of the main transportations around the globe. But with the popularity of motorised vehicles, the use of cycles has decreased drastically. A bicycle, in the past, used to be considered more convenient than walking or using animal-driven transports. However, when automobiles were introduced, people switched to a faster mode of transport. Those vehicles can carry more goods at a time, and businesses embraced them without further delay. Moreover, the safety of cyclists is a grave issue when dedicated roads are not built for them. Finally, bicycles lost their appeal in many countries where people started to prioritise comfort over an active lifestyle. However, some useful measures can encourage more people to use this eco-friendly and healthful transport on the road again. Firstly, governments should implement separate cycling lanes that would ensure the safety of cyclists. In addition to that, providing secure parking facilities will also encourage many to use cycles. Restriction on car ownership and increasing the price of fuel would further encourage many to use bicycles instead of driving cars. Finally, awareness campaigns to educate people about the health and environmental benefits of using bicycles could be a great step to motivate more people to use this transport daily. To conclude, a government has a great role to play to motivate its citizens to use bicycles and this would guarantee a green environment and a healthy nation. It is also expected that more people use this green transport that would save the environment and keep them fit.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Name the activity directly Original: use it more widely Suggested revision: cycle more often Why it matters: This avoids the vague singular pronoun and refers directly to bicycle use.
- 2. Use uncountable transport Original: main transportations Suggested revision: main modes of transport Why it matters: 'Transportation' is not normally plural when referring to travel generally.
- 3. Describe the historical shift Original: But with the popularity of motorised vehicles Suggested revision: However, with the rise of motorised vehicles Why it matters: This transition and noun phrase express the change more precisely.
- 4. Refer to cycling naturally Original: the use of cycles has Suggested revision: cycling has Why it matters: The activity noun is more natural than 'the use of cycles'.
- 5. Use the standard term Original: animal-driven transports Suggested revision: animal-drawn transport Why it matters: Vehicles pulled by animals are described as animal-drawn.
- 6. Use a direct time adverb Original: without further delay Suggested revision: quickly Why it matters: The original phrase is unnecessarily dramatic for describing business adoption.
- 7. Use measured concern language Original: grave issue Suggested revision: serious concern Why it matters: This is a more natural collocation for a transport-safety problem.
- 8. Name cycling infrastructure Original: dedicated roads Suggested revision: dedicated cycle lanes Why it matters: Cyclists typically need designated lanes rather than entire separate roads.
- 9. Refer to the activity Original: bicycles lost their appeal Suggested revision: cycling lost its appeal Why it matters: The activity, rather than the physical objects, becomes less attractive to users.
- 10. Describe the mode naturally Original: healthful transport Suggested revision: healthy mode of transport Why it matters: 'Healthful transport' is not a natural phrase.
- 11. Use an infrastructure verb Original: implement separate cycling lanes Suggested revision: build dedicated cycle lanes Why it matters: Governments build or install lanes rather than implement them.
- 12. Avoid an absolute guarantee Original: that would ensure the safety of cyclists Suggested revision: to improve cyclists' safety Why it matters: Cycle lanes can improve safety but cannot ensure it completely.
Suggested Rewrites
- use it more widely cycle more often
- main transportations main modes of transport
- But with the popularity of motorised vehicles However, with the rise of motorised vehicles
- the use of cycles has cycling has
- animal-driven transports animal-drawn transport
- without further delay quickly
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response’s strongest feature is its complete coverage of both causes and solutions, with practical proposals such as cycling lanes, secure parking, and awareness campaigns. Its main limitation is presentation: all ideas are compressed into one paragraph and some reasons are stated briefly, while several unnatural expressions reduce precision. The highest-priority improvement is to separate causes from measures in clearly developed paragraphs and refine collocations.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both questions are directly answered through several relevant reasons for low bicycle use and a practical range of proposed measures.
Extend the strongest cause and solution with clearer explanation of how each influences individual transport choices.
Coherence and Cohesion
The causes and measures follow a recognisable sequence, but the absence of paragraph breaks and repeated signposting weaken structural clarity.
Use separate, focused paragraphs for causes and solutions, with each point developed before moving to the next.
Lexical Resource
A sufficiently flexible vocabulary communicates ideas about transport, safety, policy, health, and the environment, despite occasional unnatural choices.
Refine collocations such as “main transportations,” “use this transport,” and “guarantee a green environment” for greater naturalness.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is generally controlled and meaning remains clear, with only occasional errors in articles, parallelism, and subordinate forms.
Polish article use and parallel structures, especially when coordinating noun phrases or expressing expectations.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Many people believe that bicycle is a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport. However, it is still unpopular in many countries. What are the reasons for that? What could be done to encourage the use of bicycles among the wider population?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.