Rapid Adoption of Electric Vehicles · Advantages and Disadvantages
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 278 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
Many governments are introducing strong incentives to encourage drivers to switch from petrol and diesel cars to fully electric vehicles within the next decade. Do the advantages of this rapid transition outweigh the disadvantages? Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01Parse the prompt — 'Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?' demands a weighted verdict, not a neutral list
- 02Take a clear stance in the introduction and stick to it through the conclusion
- 03Balance one body paragraph of advantages against one of disadvantages — roughly equal length
- 04Use specific environmental, economic, and infrastructural examples rather than generic claims
- 05Distinguish this format from 'discuss both views' — you are weighing pros versus cons of one trend, not two opposing opinions
- 06Close with an explicit weighted conclusion, e.g. 'the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages'
Model answer
278 words in 4 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
Across much of the world, governments are offering subsidies, tax breaks, and even outright bans on new petrol cars in order to push drivers towards electric vehicles within the next ten years. While this transition has clear environmental merit, I believe its advantages outweigh its disadvantages, provided the change is supported by adequate infrastructure.
The benefits of rapid electric vehicle adoption are significant. Most obviously, replacing combustion engines with electric motors reduces tailpipe emissions to zero, which improves urban air quality and lowers the carbon footprint of transport — currently one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases. A study in London, for example, found that switching the city's taxi fleet to electric cut roadside nitrogen dioxide levels by almost a third. A second advantage is industrial: countries that move quickly are positioning themselves to lead a growing global market, creating well-paid manufacturing and engineering jobs in batteries, software, and charging networks rather than ceding that market to faster-moving competitors.
There are, however, real disadvantages. The most pressing is affordability; electric vehicles still cost considerably more upfront than equivalent petrol models, and lower-income households risk being squeezed out of car ownership if the transition outpaces price falls. A second drawback is infrastructure. In countries where the public charging network is patchy, drivers without off-street parking face genuine inconvenience, and rural areas may be left behind. Lastly, mining the lithium, cobalt, and nickel needed for batteries carries its own environmental and human cost.
In conclusion, although the upfront expense and infrastructure gaps cause genuine difficulty, the gains in air quality, climate action, and industrial competitiveness are larger. On balance, the advantages of rapid electric vehicle adoption clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
13 fewer than the median answer for this task type
5 words at the shortest, 38 at the longest
1 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 21.4 words and vary by 10.6 words either side of that, running from 5 words to 38. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 6 of the 13 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
7 in total, spread across 4 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
although, however, while
for example
next
in conclusion, on balance
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 85 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 72 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 5 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Cover both advantages and disadvantages with developed support, and give a clear weighted opinion as the prompt asks.
Coherence & Cohesion
Use four well-organised paragraphs with explicit signposting between advantages, disadvantages, and the verdict.
Lexical Resource
Use precise vocabulary for environment, economics, and infrastructure, with appropriate evaluative language.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use a range of complex structures including concessive clauses, conditionals, and comparatives accurately.
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