Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-03

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)

Cell phones with useful apps are the basic necessity of a human being nowadays. In this modern epoch, online payments via cellphones are becoming very popular by using digital applications. In this essay, I will give two main pros and one con for this notion.

Online payments are so convenient that people are using them on a regular basis. People do not have to carry cash everywhere; they just have to take their phones, which have different apps for payments. Through this, the chances of losing cash or theft of cash have been reduced. For example, recent studies in India have shown that pocket picking has been reduced to 87% after the PM announced the notion of "cashless India." Additionally, these payment apps are used by every age group for transactions, as they are so easy to navigate. Even the old-age people using this app very frequently.

However, after the introduction of these online payment applications, the expenditure of each individual has been increased. If ignored, people keep on paying without checking their account balance; this can lead to exhaustion of their account balance. For example, a recent article published in The Times of America states that the exchange of money has been expanded 80-fold within the last 5 years with the introduction of payment apps.

To conclude, although the advantage of easy payment and reduction of theft has been an achievement through these online payment applications, we cannot ignore the fact that expenses of each individual have been increased to a great extent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention convenience and reduced theft as advantages, the explanation of the disadvantage—increased expenditure—is slightly underdeveloped and relies on a somewhat confusing example regarding 'exchange of money' expanding 80-fold. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully explored with clearer logical links. The position is clear throughout, but the essay would benefit from a more balanced structure, as the advantages are given more space than the disadvantages.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally,' 'However,' and 'To conclude' to signal transitions between ideas. However, the flow within paragraphs is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the transition between the convenience of apps and the example of pocket picking in India feels slightly abrupt. Improving the use of referencing and ensuring that sentences within a paragraph are more tightly linked would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'modern epoch,' 'transactions,' and 'expenditure.' There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'old-age people' (better: 'elderly people') and 'the exchange of money has been expanded' (better: 'the volume of transactions has increased'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the control is not always precise. To improve, focus on using collocations more naturally and ensuring that your word choices are contextually appropriate for a formal essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Even the old-age people using this app very frequently' (missing a verb) and 'the expenditure of each individual has been increased' (passive voice is unnecessary here; 'has increased' is more natural). Punctuation is generally correct, but some phrasing is slightly awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and avoiding unnecessary passive constructions.

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