Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-10

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 6.0)

Digital payment has become a controversial topic today. A perennial debate centre on whether payment through cellphone is beneficial or detrimental to society. The primary purpose of this composition is to elaborate on both the plus and minus to justify why I believe online payment overshadow the the paying by cash.

Begning with the meritorious aspects, the foremost is flexibility. Due to the fact that people could pay from the comfort of their homes without visiting physical shops, it results in saving a considerable amounts of time, which could be used for constructive puposes, such as relaxing or exercising. Another pivotal bright side is cashless transaction. People do not need to carry cash to process payment. Consequently, it reduce the fear of theft and beneficial to the society as a whole.Therefore, consumer make payment around the world with their smartphones, which promotes online shopping.

Exploring the potential drawbacks, a noteable one is cyber crime. If payment is not done securely, it can lead to misuse the transaction. it is necessary to fill credit or debit card details on shopping websites to proceed payment and it can be obtained by unauthorized person. It is primarily due to weak password, as insecure username and passwords easily hacked by criminals to steal information related to banking account. However, it can be solved by secure passwords and two-way authentication.

In conclusion, while there are some drawbacks associated with digital transactions, I consider it is highly advantageous because of the convenient and flexible approach to save time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the question and make your view clear: the conclusion says digital transactions are “highly advantageous” because they are convenient and save time. The benefits of paying from home and not carrying cash are relevant, and the cybercrime paragraph gives a plausible drawback plus possible safeguards. This meets the task well overall. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the link between cashless payment and promoting online shopping is not developed, and the security discussion focuses mainly on passwords without illustrating the consequences or weighing them against the benefits. To strengthen the response, explain each main point with a specific example and make the comparison between advantages and disadvantages more explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, one on disadvantages, and a conclusion that restates your position. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “Exploring the potential drawbacks” help readers recognise the shift in focus. This shows a coherent arrangement, with some effective progression. At times, however, linking feels formulaic: “Begning with” and “Another pivotal bright side” announce points rather than showing how they relate. The sentence beginning “Therefore” does not clearly follow from the preceding claim about theft, and the final sentence of the drawbacks paragraph shifts abruptly to solutions. Use more precise referencing and connect each explanation directly to its claim; this would make cohesion more flexible and less dependent on set phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic and attempt less common expressions, including “perennial debate,” “cashless transaction,” “unauthorized person,” and “two-way authentication.” These choices show ambition, and the main meaning remains understandable. Some attempts are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “the plus and minus,” “meritorious aspects,” “a noteable one,” and “misuse the transaction” do not express the intended ideas naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “Begning,” “puposes,” and “noteable,” which reduce control. Aim for precise, natural collocations rather than ornate wording—for example, “advantages and disadvantages,” “a major drawback,” and “fraudulent use of payment details.” Proofreading spelling and word forms would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including a reason clause (“Due to the fact that…”) and a conditional sentence (“If payment is not done securely…”). Most ideas can be followed, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “A perennial debate centre” has subject–verb disagreement, “it reduce the fear” should be “it reduces,” and “consumer make payment” needs a plural or singular form with matching agreement. The construction “it can lead to misuse the transaction” is also faulty; use “lead to the misuse of the transaction” or “lead to a transaction being misused.” Capitalisation after full stops and spacing after punctuation need attention as well. Check agreement and sentence boundaries carefully, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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