Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone (cellphone) apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 4.5)

In many regions, advancement in technology has shaped the way bills are payed, with more people prefering to pay their bills online rather than the conventional method.bills can now be paid online without the hassle of standing in big queue through various platforms at your convenience. although, this might be a positive trait by it also has a few disadvantages.

to begin with, the bills can be paid online through any remote areas, this avoids the hassle to visit the local stores and standing in lines to pay your bills. futhermore, the applications also provide you with notificatons on a regular basis which avoids

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the topic and give a relevant advantage: paying remotely can avoid queues and trips to local stores. You also signal that there are disadvantages, but the response does not explain any, and the position on whether advantages outweigh disadvantages is not made clear. The point about app notifications is introduced but left unfinished, so it is not developed with an explanation or example. As a result, the task is addressed only partially and the ideas remain very limited. The response is also 146 words below the required minimum, leaving too little space to develop both sides and support a clear conclusion. To improve, state your overall view, explain at least one disadvantage, and extend each main point with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening introduces the topic, and “to begin with” signals the start of a supporting point. The ideas about remote payment, queues and notifications are broadly related. However, there is no completed development or conclusion, and the final sentence stops abruptly after “which avoids,” so the progression cannot be followed to a clear endpoint. The contrast introduced by “although” is also not completed with a clear opposing idea. Use separate paragraphs for your position, advantages, disadvantages and conclusion, and connect each point with clear references and transitions. Complete each sentence and ensure that linking words accurately show the relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “conventional method,” “platforms,” “remote areas” and “notifications,” which helps communicate the general subject. There is also an attempt to vary expression with phrases such as “hassle of standing in big queue.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “pay their bills online” is repeated, “big queue” is not a natural collocation, and “positive trait” does not clearly express the intended evaluation. Spelling errors such as “prefering,” “futhermore” and “notificatons” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise range around mobile payments, convenience, security and access, and check spelling and collocations when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, for example the opening clause beginning “with more people” and the sentence about notifications. However, control is inconsistent, and some structures are incomplete or faulty. In “with more people prefering to pay,” the verb form after “with” is incorrect; “although, this might be a positive trait by it also has” does not form a clear grammatical contrast; and “the bills can be paid online through any remote areas” has an incorrect preposition pattern. The final sentence is unfinished, while missing spaces and sentence-initial capital letters affect punctuation. Practise complete clauses, accurate verb forms and sentence boundaries, then proofread each sentence for agreement and punctuation.

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