IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

IELTS Essay # 1237 - In the future all cars, buses and trucks will be driverless

IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

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?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words. 



Model Answer 1: [Band 8 level sample answer] 
[View: Advantages outweigh the disadvantages]

With the rapid technological development, driverless vehicles are becoming a reality, and within a couple of decades, all cars will run without the intervention of a human driver. I personally believe that driverless cars will bring far more benefits than the possible drawbacks they have.

To begin with the drawbacks, driverless cars pose some risks, including accidents and casualties, should the technology malfunction. Since the vehicles would be run and controlled by software and technology, the risk of devastating accidents due to bugs or hacking could not be eliminated. It will make us more susceptible to hackers and software glitches. An accident, in which a woman died, caused by a driverless car while still in beta mode, caused a great uproar a few years ago. Moreover, not all roads, especially those in poor nations with ditches, holes and insufficient road signals, are suitable for those automated cars to run smoothly.

However, technology-made mistakes are astronomically fewer than man-made blunders when it comes to road safety and casualties, and this is where driverless automobiles can make a significant improvement. Though we point out a single accident made by a driverless car, human drivers are responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of casualties each day all around the world. With the introduction of automated cars, accidents would reduce remarkably making roads safer for all. On top of that, millions of hours could be saved each day since we would no longer need to sit behind the wheel. It will increase our productivity and boost the national economy. 

In conclusion, driverless vehicles have many great benefits including road safety and economic benefits, and it is expected that we could eliminate the software related issues to reap the maximum benefits of this marvellous technology.



Sample Answer 2:
[View: Advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages]

Driverless cars, thanks to the phenomenal development of technology, are no longer fiction, but a reality, and it is expected that most vehicles will be autonomous in the future. Despite both benefits and demerits, the writer of this essay does think that the advantages of driverless vehicles do not outweigh the disadvantages. 

One of the major advantages of driverless vehicles is that they reduce the number of accidents on the road. Such cars provide better traffic efficiency since the driverless vehicles can travel efficiently at an optimized and safe distance from each other by communicating among themselves in real-time, on the road, and by telling which routes to take. It reduces accidents and casualties to a great extent.

However, the systems or the technologies, used to operate driverless vehicles, can malfunction or stop working at any time, without any prior notice. And, if that happens, an autonomous vehicle could actually put the passengers in more danger than if a human driver was driving it. Besides, self-driving cars lack the ability to make judgments among multiple unfavourable scenarios and outcomes. For example, let’s say that a self-driving car had to face a situation with only two possible options: one is to veer to the left and strike a pedestrian, and the other one is to turn to the right and hit a tree, potentially injuring the passengers inside the vehicle. Now, since both options are undesirable, which option would the driverless car choose? The Moral Machine, developed by a group at MIT in the USA, is seeking to address this critical issue by collecting data on real-life people’s decisions, but the data collected, so far, shows broad differences amongst different groups of people, making it very difficult to programme any definitive answer for autonomous cars. Thus autonomous cars are good to have but are not great to ride in!

So, based on the discussion above, we can fairly conclude that the shortcomings of driverless automobiles outweigh their possible benefits.



Model Answer 3: [Band 7.5 level sample answer] 
[View: Advantages outweigh the disadvantages]

The concept that all cars will be driverless has been gaining traction lately as advancements in technology have made it increasingly feasible and demonstrations have already been successful. The idea of a future where only passengers occupy such vehicles is one that has both benefits and drawbacks. However, in my opinion, the benefits of driverless vehicles outweigh the potential disadvantages.

One of the main drawbacks of driverless cars is the potential loss of jobs for millions of drivers. This is particularly concerning in industries, such as trucking, taxi service and ride-sharing, where driving is the primary occupation. Another major shortcoming of fully automated vehicles is the potential for hackers to gain control of the vehicle and cause mayhem. This could be a significant security concern, as the technology is still in its infancy, and vulnerabilities may not yet have been identified.

On the other hand, several major advantages of driverless vehicles make them an attractive option for the future. To begin with, driverless automobiles are expected to remarkably reduce the number of road accidents caused by human error, as the vehicles are controlled by advanced software and sensors that are less prone to mistakes. Additionally, automated vehicles have the potential to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion, as they can communicate with one another and adapt to changing traffic conditions in real-time. Furthermore, driverless vehicles could also have positive impacts on the environment as they will reduce fuel consumption and emissions, for example.

In conclusion, while there could be some disadvantages to the notion of driverless conveyances, the advantages of such vehicles far outweigh the drawbacks. The fewer road accidents, improved traffic conditions, and environmental benefits that driverless vehicles will bring us, make them an appealing choice for the future.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.36 (35 Votes)

Diyora
Thank you.
Maghfiroh Robbaniyah
These days, many vehicles such as buses, cars, and trucks, are steered by human drivers. However, it would change with the concept and technology of driverless vehicles. This will have both merits and drawbacks. In this essay, I will argue that the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages.

Technological advancement and the concept of driverless automatic cars can avoid many human errors. Sometimes, human is affected by their mood and conditions surrounding them that cause unexpected tragedies. For example, in Indonesia, almost every day there are accidents caused by sleepy people, and people who do not focus. Driverless automobiles can be more efficient to save lives by preventing accidents. Each vehicle would have Artificial Intelligence as the main system consists of several parts such as safety, control, sensor, and others. An example is Tesla company which produces driverless cars with really advanced technology. These cars would consider hundreds of parameters while driving and take decisions precisely without making mistakes.

However, people still think that vehicles without drivers are dangerous. They still want to rely on human judgement rather than relying on computer systems that can not feel or have empathy. Machine errors can suddenly happen and they could produce unexpected and catastrophic results like bigger and more dangerous accidents involving many vehicles.

However, the disadvantages of driverless vehicles can be solved if the company produce cars that are well-equipped with safety measures and tools. Those cars should be tested rigorously before they run on the roads. Moreover, the government should improve the infrastructures and roads so that they are made friendly for driverless cars.

In conclusion, driverless cars will dominate our roads in the future. And if we make plans to improve and embrace them, we will have a safer and more efficient way of travelling while also avoiding road accidents.

Xin He
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?

Driverless vehicles will void the requirements for traditional human drivers in the future. It will bring both positive and negative aspects. In my view, although a driverless car can lead to some risks while driving, I argue that it would bring more advantages.

On the positive side, the wide use of driverless vehicles can relieve human drivers' from stress, tiredness and mistakes. Human drivers need to rest regularly during long road trips, and when they are distracted, serious accidents occur. This is because driving needs their focus on many things like road conditions, other cars, and so on. A driverless car can avoid these issues because it is controlled by an AI system, which can avoid the risk based on the program it contains. Furthermore, driverless cars will force governments to improve the roads, and it will make the roads safer. Finally, automated cars will reduce the chances of accidents and save thousands of lives each year.

When talking about the drawbacks, people will be most concerned about the safety and hacking problems of automated cars. It is not always reliable for an AI to control a car as software can malfunction. Moreover, if a malicious person can take control of the software that runs the car, it can be catastrophic. Hacking, car theft and hijacking would become a severe concern for many.

All in all, although driverless vehicles have some drawbacks, I still consider that more and more AI cars driving on the road can be a good thing due to their reliability and safety features.

Navneet
Essay Topic:
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?

Sample Answer:
Undoubtedly technology has spread its arms in every sector to a great extent and communication and advanced automobiles are no exception. Driverless cars will be everywhere in upcoming years, and this will bring many benefits. I believe the advantages of driverless cars will far outweigh the disadvantages.

In the future, driverless automobiles will work as a wonder, especially when it comes to safety. Thousands of lives are lost every year due to human error, speed-driving, drunk-driving or wrong judgement while driving. Automated cars will be navigated by software and will have no provision for making errors. This will make the roads and highways safer than ever before. Besides, it will save time, and reduce traffic congestion as those auto-pilot cars will be designed to abide by the traffic rules all the time. Finally, people will have more time to do their personal things when commuting as they will not have to drive a car. For instance, when an office executive drives a car, it is never expected that he or she will join a meeting to discuss important professional matters. With driverless cars, there will have no barrier to that possibility.

On the other hand, driverless cars will have some downsides as well. First, it cannot be denied that automated cars are run by computers - which are nothing more than machines run by codes and instructions written by humans. And machines can have glitches or bugs any time and anywhere, which can cause disaster anytime. The more we become automated, the more vulnerable we become to our privacy and safety.

In conclusion, despite a few disadvantages of automated cars in the future, they will be everywhere making our lives safer, easier and more convenient.