Plan this advantages and disadvantages essay about transport with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Electric scooters and bikes that can be rented by the minute are now common in many cities.
Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Electric scooters and bikes that can be rented by the minute have become a common sight in many cities. I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, provided that cities regulate the schemes properly.
The benefits are clear. For users, these vehicles are cheap and convenient: a person can unlock one with a phone, ride the final kilometre from a train station to the office and leave it at the destination, with no need to own or store a vehicle. For cities, they offer a clean alternative to short car journeys, which reduces traffic, parking pressure and exhaust emissions in crowded centres. They can also complete public transport networks by serving areas with few bus or train stops, and they are popular with tourists exploring unfamiliar districts. Paris has made its shared bikes part of its strategy to cut car use, although it banned rental e-scooters in 2023 after safety complaints.
However, there are real problems. Riders are at risk of accidents, especially without helmets, and scooters ridden on pavements can endanger pedestrians, particularly elderly and disabled people. Vehicles abandoned across footpaths create clutter, and vandalism is common. Questions have also been raised about sustainability, as short-lived batteries and vehicles that are collected by diesel vans may cancel out some of the environmental benefits.
Most of these difficulties can be reduced through regulation. Councils can limit the number of operators, require parking in designated bays, enforce speed limits and set fines for dangerous riding or poor parking, while companies can design sturdier vehicles and use electric vans for collection. Dedicated lanes would protect riders and pedestrians alike.
In conclusion, shared scooters and bikes offer a flexible, low-emission form of transport, and with proper rules their advantages are greater than their drawbacks.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| micromobility | small personal vehicles |
| last-mile journey | final part of a trip |
| helmet law | rule about wearing helmets |
| pavement obstruction | blocked walkway |
| shared transport | vehicles used by many people |
| dockless | without fixed stations |
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