Self-driving vehicles are expected to carry passengers on public roads within the next decade.
A full IELTS Writing Task 2 answer to this question, with a paragraph plan, ideas you can use, and the vocabulary that fits this topic.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Self-driving vehicles are expected to carry passengers on public roads within the next decade.
Is this a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
How to read this question
The safety argument is the obvious one, and it is stronger than most candidates realise — but the interesting problem is that autonomous vehicles will be held to a standard human drivers are not. A machine that halves the death toll would still be reported as a machine that killed someone. Noticing that asymmetry, and the employment question, gives you an argument rather than a list of futuristic benefits.
Paragraph plan
Introduction — Paraphrase, then give the verdict: positive, on the strength of the safety case, provided liability and the employment transition are handled deliberately.
Body 1 — Why positive — most crashes are attention failures, which is precisely what machines do not suffer from; plus mobility for people who cannot drive.
Body 2 — The genuine difficulties — employment displacement concentrated in one occupation, unresolved liability, and an asymmetric standard of public tolerance.
Conclusion — Positive, with the warning that the obstacle is institutional rather than technical.
Model essay
Band 8.5–9.0 model essay
335 words
Vehicles capable of driving themselves are projected to begin carrying passengers on public roads within the coming decade. In my view, this represents a largely positive development, although its advantages will only be fully realised if strict safety regulation accompanies its rollout.
To begin, the principal merit of autonomous vehicles lies in their capacity to reduce accidents caused by human error. To clarify, unlike human drivers, who are prone to fatigue, distraction or intoxication, self-driving systems rely on sensors and algorithms that process road conditions continuously and without lapses in concentration. This precision could dramatically lower collision rates, particularly in countries where reckless driving remains a leading cause of death. Moreover, this technology can grant independence to individuals who are currently unable to drive, such as the elderly or people with physical disabilities. For these groups, autonomous vehicles would eliminate reliance on relatives or costly private transport, thereby enhancing their quality of life and social participation. Such vehicles could also communicate with one another to optimise traffic flow, reducing the congestion that currently wastes commuters' time in most major cities.
However, this development also carries considerable risks that could offset its benefits. A pressing concern is cybersecurity: because self-driving vehicles depend on interconnected software, a compromised system could be remotely manipulated by malicious actors, endangering passengers and other road users alike. Such vulnerabilities are far more consequential than a conventional vehicle malfunction, given the potential for coordinated attacks across an entire fleet. Furthermore, the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles threatens the livelihoods of millions employed as taxi, bus and lorry drivers. Given that many of these workers possess limited transferable skills, mass unemployment in this sector could exacerbate economic inequality unless governments intervene with structured support.
To conclude, I consider the emergence of self-driving vehicles a fundamentally positive advancement, capable of reducing road fatalities and empowering those unable to drive. Nevertheless, unless robust cybersecurity safeguards and retraining programmes for displaced drivers are established beforehand, these benefits risk being overshadowed by security threats and economic disruption.
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to read the rest of this essay and unlock every model on the site.
This is a positive or negative development question. The essay above shows you what a strong answer looks like when it is finished. What it cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in forty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the essay is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Introduction: Introduction — paraphrase that self-driving vehicles will soon carry passengers on public roads, and state the position that this is broadly positive if strict safety regulation accompanies it.
Body 1: Body 1 — argue the positive side: autonomous vehicles reduce accidents caused by human error like fatigue and distraction, and give independence to elderly or disabled people who cannot drive themselves.
Body 2: Body 2 — argue the negative side: self-driving systems create cybersecurity risks from hacking, and mass adoption threatens the jobs of taxi, bus and lorry drivers who have few transferable skills.
Conclusion: Conclusion — restate the balanced judgement that the development is positive overall, but only if cybersecurity safeguards and driver retraining programmes are put in place beforehand.
Word or phrase
Meaning
Used in a sentence
autonomous vehicles
vehicles that can drive themselves without a human operator
Vehicles capable of driving themselves are projected to begin carrying passengers on public roads within the coming decade.
human error
mistakes caused by a person rather than a machine
the principal merit of autonomous vehicles lies in their capacity to reduce accidents caused by human error.
lapses in concentration
brief moments of losing focus
self-driving systems rely on sensors and algorithms that process road conditions continuously and without lapses in concentration.
eliminate reliance on
remove the need to depend on something or someone
autonomous vehicles would eliminate reliance on relatives or costly private transport.
cybersecurity
protection of computer systems from digital attacks
A pressing concern is cybersecurity: because self-driving vehicles depend on interconnected software, a compromised system could be remotely manipulated.
malicious actors
people who deliberately cause harm, often digitally
a compromised system could be remotely manipulated by malicious actors, endangering passengers and other road users alike.
transferable skills
abilities that can be applied to a different job or context
many of these workers possess limited transferable skills, mass unemployment in this sector could exacerbate economic inequality.
road fatalities
deaths caused by traffic accidents
I consider the emergence of self-driving vehicles a fundamentally positive advancement, capable of reducing road fatalities.
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to see the ideas and vocabulary for this topic and unlock every model on the site.
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Common questions
Should I predict the future in a question about a coming technology?
Argue about consequences rather than forecasting dates. "If this arrives, here is what follows and why" is defensible; predicting exactly when it will happen is not, and IELTS gives no credit for the guess.
Is it stronger to identify an unexpected obstacle?
Usually, yes. Everyone will mention jobs and safety. Pointing out that automated deaths are judged by a different standard than human ones shows you have thought past the obvious, and it is the kind of observation that lifts Task Response.
Do I need statistics for this topic?
Approximate, clearly hedged figures are fine — "roughly nine in ten", "well over a million a year" — and they add force. Precise invented numbers add risk without adding marks, since examiners assess the reasoning rather than the data.
