Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-07-26

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 6.5)

In this digitalised era, usage of smartphones are become a trend among people throughout they are utilising a lot of their money on paid apps for their access so that they can enjoy their benefits. However, this trend could have positive impacts on users, but in my view this has more drawbacks as compared to its advantages.

The main downside on people’s life to paying their savings on the subscription of mobile apps is wasting their time and money. To expound, there are many apps they just downloaded after watching advertisements about it like telegram, photo editor and so on, but hardly they use them in later which directly impacts on their savings while expanding on these unusual things. On the flip side, there are many apps which provide assistance to people to complete their studies along with doing online work. To exemplify, numerous online platforms like ChatGPT for students consider to be beneficial to resolve their academic session, also Skype most of the remote workers are using to attend their meetings online through video conferences.

Additionally, purchasing apps sometimes become the habit for young ones to contribute more on it while they started showing their interest in gaming apps. This could lead to distract them from others important tasks like studies and utilise there time towards physical activities. For instance, there are several youngsters are addicted to spend hours on the screen while searching useful apps for playing games, that in result lead to a sedentary lifestyle.

On the contrary, mobile apps can be fruitful for elderly ones those children are staying in abroad they can interact with them with the help of video call .

In conclusion, although buying apps can lead to severe problems for those who are spending a lot on it. It can be more attractive if people use it to some extent and could follow all the procedures properly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, ultimately taking a clear position. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding the 'downside' of wasting money on apps is clear, but the transition to the benefits of apps (like ChatGPT or Skype) is abrupt and lacks a strong connection to the prompt's focus on 'paying' for apps. While the task is addressed, some points are under-developed, and the conclusion is slightly repetitive rather than synthesising the arguments effectively. To improve, ensure each paragraph directly supports the central thesis with more cohesive reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'However', 'To expound', 'On the flip side', and 'Additionally'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as the transition between the disadvantages and advantages within the same paragraph. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the connection between 'buying apps' and 'being more attractive' is ambiguous. Paragraphing is present, but the flow between ideas could be smoother to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'subscription', 'sedentary lifestyle', and 'video conferences'. However, there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'contribute more on it' instead of 'spend more on them' and 'expand on these unusual things' which is imprecise. The range is sufficient to communicate, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Spelling is generally accurate, but the overall lexical control is limited.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('usage of smartphones are become'), incorrect verb forms ('hardly they use them in later'), and awkward phrasing ('those children are staying in abroad'). While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to basic sentence construction and consistent verb tense usage is necessary to improve accuracy.

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