Reducing Urban Traffic: Private or Public Solutions?
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 266 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.
Some people believe that reducing urban traffic congestion is mainly the responsibility of individual drivers, who should switch to public transport or cycle. Others argue that only governments have the power to solve the problem through investment and regulation. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01Address both views fully before stating your position — a one-sided response loses marks
- 02Use real-world examples (London Congestion Charge, Paris cycle infrastructure) rather than abstract claims
- 03State your overall position in the introduction, not only the conclusion
- 04Acknowledge the strength of the opposing view before refining or qualifying it
- 05Conclude with a nuanced position rather than absolute agreement with one side
Model answer
266 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.
As average commute times in major cities continue to climb, debate has intensified over who should take the lead in tackling congestion: the individual behind the wheel, or the government that designs the wider transport system. While both bear some responsibility, I believe meaningful change can only come when governments lead and individuals follow.
Those who place the responsibility on drivers make a reasonable point. Many urban journeys are made by single occupants in private cars when alternatives exist, and personal choices about cycling, car-sharing or working from home aggregate into substantial reductions in traffic. Behavioural change of this kind is also cheap, immediate and democratic — it does not depend on years of public spending and can adjust quickly to new circumstances such as fuel price rises or hybrid working arrangements.
However, individual action runs into hard structural limits. A commuter cannot cycle on a road without safe lanes, switch to a bus that does not exist, or board a train whose ticket price exceeds the cost of petrol. Governments alone have the levers to build mass transit, redesign streets for pedestrians, enforce low-emission zones and tax private motoring through congestion charges. The dramatic reduction in central London traffic following the introduction of its Congestion Charge in 2003, and the explosion of cycling in Paris after dedicated infrastructure was added, both show that policy shapes individual choice more than the reverse.
In my view, therefore, the responsibility is genuinely shared but unevenly weighted. Individuals should make sensible everyday choices, but only sustained government investment and regulation can deliver the systemic change that congested cities urgently need.
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.
25 fewer than the median answer for this task type
8 words at the shortest, 39 at the longest
2 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 24.2 words and vary by 10.4 words either side of that, running from 8 words to 39. 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 11 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
4 in total, spread across 3 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.
however, while
therefore
such as
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 87 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 75 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 3 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 Achievement
Discuss both views fully and present a clear personal opinion supported by reasons
Coherence & Cohesion
Use a four-paragraph structure that separates both views before your opinion
Lexical Resource
Accurate vocabulary for transport policy, urban planning and behavioural change
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use a range of complex structures including concessive clauses and conditionals
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