Band 9 model answer
Artificial intelligence now influences decisions once reserved for human experts, from diagnosing illness to selecting job candidates and assessing legal risk. Although these systems offer real gains in efficiency, I believe that for high-stakes judgements the disadvantages currently outweigh the advantages.
The case for AI is grounded in speed and consistency. Algorithms can analyse vast datasets far faster than any person, detecting patterns in medical scans or financial records that humans might miss. Because they apply the same criteria to every case, they also promise to reduce the inconsistency and fatigue that affect human decision-makers. In medicine especially, such precision can accelerate diagnosis and save lives.
Nevertheless, weighty objections remain. AI systems learn from historical data, and where that data reflects past prejudice, the machine can entrench discrimination while appearing neutral, as has occurred in biased hiring and sentencing tools. Worse, these models often function as opaque 'black boxes', offering no transparent reasoning, which makes errors hard to challenge and accountability difficult to assign. When a life or a livelihood is at stake, such opacity is deeply troubling.
In conclusion, although artificial intelligence can enhance speed and uncover valuable insights, its capacity for hidden bias and its lack of transparency render it unsuitable as the sole arbiter of momentous decisions. Until these flaws are resolved, AI should assist human judgement rather than replace it, and the drawbacks therefore outweigh the benefits.
Examiner’s notes
- Task Response: the writer commits to a clear position on the outweigh question ('disadvantages currently outweigh') and sustains it, weighing efficiency against bias and opacity.
- Coherence and Cohesion: cohesive contrast through 'The case for AI', 'Nevertheless' and 'In conclusion' organises a balanced yet decisive argument.
- Lexical Resource: precise, field-specific terms such as 'entrench discrimination', 'opaque black boxes' and 'sole arbiter' reveal an advanced lexical range.