Some people think international car-free days are an effective way of reducing air pollution; however, others think there are other ways. Discuss both views and give your opinion
Sample Response
While international car-free days are thought to effectively reduce levels of air pollution, some people believe that there are alternativesother alternatives that are more effective. This essay will discuss both of these views.
It is true that exhaust fumes from cars are a major cause of air pollution as they contain high concentrations of pollutantsa relatively high proportion of pollutants such as CO2. By keeping cars off the road on designated daysBy having some days without cars on the road, no harmful exhaust emissionsharmful smoke will be released into the atmosphere, and this will therefore improve air qualityimprove the air quality. This policy can be effectiveThis policy is extremely effective in big cities around the world, such as Beijing, which is well known for its dirty air smog filled atmosphere. Since this car-free policythis car-free day policy has been introduced, the air quality of the city has greatly improved.
On the other hand, local governments should further encouragetry to further encourage the use of public transport, such as subways and buses, as they emit fewer pollutantsas they effectively produce a smaller quantity of pollutants, thereby reducing their impact on air qualitywhich in turn is less likely to impact the air quality. In addition to this, waste disposalthe disposal of waste, especially plastic waste, which emits toxic fumes when burnedplastic waste which emits toxic fumes if burned, should be closely regulated and monitored. A further effective wayThe final and most effective way of reducing air pollution is to use sustainable and environmentally friendlyenvironmentally-friendly energy sources, such as solar or wind power, to replace fossil fuels in the long term.
In my view, these measures are all effective in addressing the problem of air pollution, but only to a certain extent. Such a problem needs to be dealt with by a range of approachesa number of different approaches and I believe that implementing only one approachonly implementing one approach will be ineffective.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is clearly organised and offers a useful range of alternatives, with generally fluent and accurate language. Its main limitation is that the writer's opinion is delayed until the conclusion and the claimed impact of car-free days, especially the Beijing example, is insufficiently examined. The highest-priority improvement is to state the comparative position in the introduction and evaluate the measures more critically.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views are discussed and a relevant opinion is eventually given, but the position and supporting evaluation are not fully developed throughout.
State the opinion in the introduction and compare the effectiveness and limitations of car-free days with the alternatives more explicitly.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas follow a clear four-paragraph progression, with effective sequencing and generally well-managed cohesion.
Strengthen the link between the alternative measures and the final opinion so the comparison culminates more decisively.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a broad environmental vocabulary, though several combinations are awkward or imprecise.
Replace phrases such as "dirty air smog filled atmosphere" with concise, idiomatic wording and avoid repetitive references to air quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are frequent and generally controlled, with occasional agreement, modifier, and punctuation weaknesses.
Check reference and agreement carefully in long sentences, particularly where plural subjects are followed by singular relative clauses.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think international car-free days are an effective way of reducing air pollution; however, others think there are other ways. Discuss both views and give your opinion
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.