Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2: Traffic Congestion – Clarity and Vocabulary Issues
Sample Answer with Feedback

πŸ“… Published Jan 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommendedπŸ“ 258 words Β· Band 5.5
This Band 5.5 IELTS essay on traffic congestion addresses key issues but lacks clarity in the proposed solutions. With specific challenges in vocabulary and grammar, it provides an opportunity for improvement. Explore the feedback to enhance your writing skills.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question

Two-part Question Β· Traffic Β· 40 min

The growing congestion on our roads, fueled by an excessive number of vehicles, demands urgent attention. How can we decrease the excessive number of cars on our roads today, which are causing more and more traffic? What other options can be offered to those who use cars?

Write at least 250 words.



5.5Band

Overall Band Score

258 words Β· Two-part Question Β· AI Evaluated

5.5
Task Response
5
Grammar
5
Vocabulary
5.5
Coherence

Score Breakdown

IELTS Writing Band Scores (1–9)

Overall Band Score
5.5
Task Response
5.5
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
5
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
5
Coherence & Cohesion
5.5

Summary: The essay addresses the topic and meets the word count requirement (258 words). However, it partially responds to the task by focusing on reasons for congestion rather than directly on how to decrease cars. Ideas are relevant but underdeveloped, and there are issues with vocabulary, grammar, and cohesion, limiting overall clarity and impact.

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Student Answer
Real submission β€’ 258 words β€’ Annotated
258 wordsβ€’Band 5.5β€’WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

The rapid growth in traffic congession, have become a major problem. A significant portion of these congestion are made by private cars on the roads. To address this issue government could offer options for the private car owners.

To begin with, badly planned roads are one of the main reason behind these road congestions. Roads itself being planned bad are secondary reason, which leadds to passengers being barely motivated towards maintaining the trafic-rules. This also leads to passenger being biased towards private car rather than public transport, although public transport is much efficient. For instance, private cars requires more space, with the same amount of space a pubulic transport can allocate 4-5 times more passengers.

In terms of options, improvement in public transport itself can significantly make the car owners more interested to try public transport in the first place. Additionally, ensuring faster and cheaper travel would make them believe that wiser decision" title="Correction: it is a wiser decision">it is wiser decision to take public transport instead of private. Moreover, an alternative routes specifically designed for private cars can make the congestion much more less, as the original one can still be used by public transport with much more convenience. For instance, Bercelona designed alternative routes for private cars, that combined with well planned roads make the traffic congession almost zero if not rare.

In conclusion, congestion can be solved with shift in mentality to use private cars less, which are the primary reason behing traffic jam. Proposing alternatives to the car owners can also make a impact on the traffic congession as a whole.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling Β· Grammar Β· Vocabulary Β· Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

6 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
congessioncongestion
leaddsleads
trafictraffic
pubulicpublic
BercelonaBarcelona
behingbehind

Grammatical Mistakes

19 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
have becomehas becomeSubject-verb agreement: 'growth' is singular, so 'has' is required.
these congestion are made bythis congestion is caused by'Congestion' is uncountable; use 'this' and singular verb 'is'; 'made by' should be 'caused by' for accuracy.
government could offerthe government could offerMissing article 'the' before 'government'.
one of the main reasonone of the main reasonsAfter 'one of the', a plural noun is needed.
Roads itself being planned bad are secondary reasonThe roads themselves being poorly planned is a secondary reason'Roads' is plural, so 'themselves'; 'planned bad' should be 'poorly planned'; subject 'being poorly planned' is singular, so 'is'; article 'a' before 'secondary reason'.
which leadds to passengers being barely motivated towards maintaining the trafic-ruleswhich leads to passengers having little motivation to maintain traffic rulesSpelling corrected; 'barely motivated' is vague; rephrased for clarity and correct preposition 'to maintain'.
passenger being biased towards private carpassengers being biased towards private cars'Passenger' should be plural 'passengers'; 'private car' should be 'private cars' for consistency.
public transport is much efficientpublic transport is much more efficient'Much' requires a comparative adjective; 'more efficient' is correct.
private cars requires more spaceprivate cars require more spaceSubject 'cars' is plural, so verb 'require' must be plural.
a pubulic transport can allocate 4-5 times more passengerspublic transport can accommodate 4-5 times more passengersSpelling corrected; 'allocate' is not appropriate for passengers; 'accommodate' is better.
make the car owners more interested to try public transportmake car owners more interested in trying public transport'Interested in' is the correct preposition; 'trying' is the gerund form.
it is wiser decisionit is a wiser decisionMissing article 'a' before 'wiser decision'.
an alternative routesalternative routes'An' is for singular nouns; use plural 'routes' without 'an' or change to 'an alternative route'.
much more lessmuch less'More less' is redundant; use 'much less' for the comparative degree.
with much more conveniencemore convenientlyAdverb 'conveniently' is more appropriate than the noun phrase 'with convenience'.
Bercelona designed alternative routes for private cars, that combined with well planned roads make the traffic congession almost zero if not rare.Barcelona has designed alternative routes for private cars, which, combined with well-planned roads, make traffic congestion almost zero, if not rare.Spelling corrected; use present perfect 'has designed' for relevance; 'that' should be 'which' for non-restrictive clause; 'well-planned' should be hyphenated; 'make' agrees with the combined subject.
with shift in mentalitywith a shift in mentalityMissing article 'a' before 'shift'.
which are the primary reason behing traffic jam.which are the primary reasons behind traffic jamsSpelling corrected; if 'which' refers to 'private cars', then 'reasons' should be plural to match; 'traffic jam' should be plural 'jams' or use 'congestion'.
make a impactmake an impact'Impact' starts with a vowel sound, so use 'an' instead of 'a'.

Vocabulary Improvements

10 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
made bycaused byInformal and incorrect collocation for congestion; 'caused by' is more accurate.
badly plannedpoorly planned'Badly' is less formal; 'poorly' is preferred in academic writing.
planned badpoorly plannedSame as above; use the adverb 'poorly' with the adjective 'planned'.
barely motivatedhave little motivation'Barely motivated' is vague; 'have little motivation' is more precise.
trafic-rulestraffic regulationsInformal compound; 'traffic regulations' is a more formal term.
allocateaccommodate'Allocate' is typically used for resources; for passengers, 'accommodate' is the correct collocation.
cheaper travelmore affordable travel'Cheaper' is informal; 'more affordable' is more academic.
wiser decisionmore prudent decision'Wiser' is acceptable, but 'prudent' is more formal and precise.
traffic jamtraffic congestion'Jam' is informal; 'congestion' is the standard term in this context.
make an impacthave an impact'Have an impact' is a more common and formal collocation than 'make an impact'.

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Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response5.5
Evaluation
The essay partially addresses both parts of the question but does not fully develop the ideas. The first body paragraph discusses reasons for congestion (e.g., badly planned roads) rather than explicitly outlining how to decrease cars. The second paragraph offers some options (e.g., improving public transport, alternative routes) but lacks depth and specific details.
Examples
The example of Barcelona is mentioned but not elaborated. The conclusion reiterates points without adding new insights.
How to Improve
Focus directly on the question: provide clear, specific measures to reduce car usage (e.g., congestion charges, carpooling incentives) and detail alternative options (e.g., cycling infrastructure, ride-sharing). Develop each idea with explanations and real-world examples to support arguments.
Coherence & Cohesion5.5
Evaluation
The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, logical progression within paragraphs is weak, and cohesive devices are used inconsistently. Spelling errors distract from readability.
Examples
In the first paragraph, the jump from 'badly planned roads' to 'passengers being barely motivated towards maintaining the trafic-rules' is abrupt. Misspellings like 'congession' and 'leadds' affect flow.
How to Improve
Use one main idea per paragraph with topic sentences. Improve linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'therefore') for smoother transitions. Proofread to correct spelling errors and ensure ideas connect clearly.
Lexical Resource5
Evaluation
Vocabulary is adequate for the topic but limited in range and accuracy. Frequent spelling errors and imprecise word choice reduce clarity.
Examples
Misspellings: 'congession' (congestion), 'pubulic' (public), 'Bercelona' (Barcelona). Inaccurate phrases: 'passengers being biased towards private car' (better: 'preferring private cars').
How to Improve
Expand topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'sustainable transport', 'congestion pricing'). Practice spelling and use a dictionary for accuracy. Avoid repetitive terms and employ more varied lexical items.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy5
Evaluation
Grammatical errors are frequent, affecting meaning. Sentence structures are mostly simple, with attempts at complexity that often contain mistakes.
Examples
Subject-verb agreement: 'traffic congession, have become' (should be 'has become'). Incorrect comparatives: 'much more less' (should be 'much less'). Awkward phrasing: 'Roads itself being planned bad' (better: 'Poorly planned roads themselves').
How to Improve
Focus on grammar basics: subject-verb agreement, article usage ('a impact' should be 'an impact'), and correct comparative forms. Practice writing complex sentences with clauses, ensuring accuracy through proofreading or grammar exercises.
πŸ’‘
Tip: Review the Band 9 model answer to see how a high-scoring essay structures arguments, uses advanced vocabulary, and maintains coherence throughout.

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