Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-06

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)

Nowadays in many countries, making payments using digital means like mobile phones and cell phone apps have become a usual norm. I firmly believe that, this evolution has more advantages for people in their everyday lives. In this essay, I will discuss my thoughts and reasons which supports my decision.

To begin with, digital technology has been on a rapid increase and everyday we see newer/updated methods for payment for general use. This has definitely made people's lives much easier and convenient for daily transactions. Everyone can securely access their bank accounts with just one click away on their smartphones, this saves people a lot of time and effort. For example, I make my daily transactions like restaurant bill, shopping, fueling up my car, etc., using my banking app and mobile wallet. This saves me a lot of time searching for my wallet, using physical cards or cash.

Secondly, Instead of carrying and using cash everywhere, people find it to be more convenient using their apps for payment. It also helps people keep track of their money flow, number of payments made, account balance, and more. For example, my friend and I were at a restaurant and his payment didn't go through but, he could check his account balance on the banking app and got to know that he didn't have enough funds in his account. As a result, he was able to transfer the amount to his account instantly and solved the problem.

Although, many argue that using digital payments can pose a risk as people can commit frauds and scams. I believe that the digital technology is advancing everyday and new methods of security is being updated on the systems like multifactor authentications, face IDs, fingerprints, SMS verifications and much more. This makes digital payments more safe, advanced and convenient for people's usage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages of mobile payments outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant and supported by personal examples, such as the convenience of banking apps for daily transactions and the security features like face ID. However, the development of the 'disadvantages' side is somewhat brief, focusing primarily on the counter-argument's rebuttal rather than exploring the potential downsides in depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide a more balanced exploration of the drawbacks before refuting them, ensuring the essay feels like a comprehensive discussion rather than a one-sided argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, such as convenience or security. Cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Secondly', and 'Although' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to better connect the idea of convenience with the counter-argument of security risks.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'digital means', 'transactions', 'multifactor authentications', and 'evolution'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'newer/updated methods' (which is informal) and 'more safe' (should be 'safer'). While you successfully convey your meaning, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common academic vocabulary to demonstrate a higher level of lexical control and stylistic awareness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('making payments... have become' should be 'has become') and punctuation errors, particularly the unnecessary comma after 'believe that,'. Additionally, 'new methods of security is being updated' should be 'are being updated'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining the use of complex sentence structures will help improve your accuracy.

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