Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-07

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)

The trend of paying through a smartphone app is gaining popularity around the globe. According to me, except a reasonable drawback, there are numerous benefits associated with it.

Many positive reasons are associated with doing a payment transaction using a cellphone app. The dominant one is that they are convenient to use. To expound, since mobile phones are now a part of our modern lifestyle, people carry them everywhere. Due to advancement in technology, paying through a smartphone is possible. As a result, to reduce the stress of carrying multiple items, people choose to pay via smartphone apps. To exemplify, in 2022, a survey was conducted in the headquarters of Tata Motors. Employee were asked about their preferred mode of payments. 92% of them selected using a smartphone for their convenience and they do not have to stress about carrying a wallet full of cash everywhere. Additionally, payments through a smartphone app is more secure as compared to plastic money such as cash and card. To elaborate, since every time while making a transaction through an app, a password is required. That can either be a face lock or a pin depending upon the users setting. On the other hand, cards simply offer tap n pay feature which does not require a pin up to a certain transaction limit. Hence, a growing number of people are choosing to pay for things using cellphone apps.

Despite the above-mentioned reasons, there is a demerits which should not be ignored. The contributing factor is increasing cyberattacks for money theft. This means, with the rise of technology, online money scams have significantly increased. Scammers target cellphones and cards to steal the money. Although, banks are taking ardent steps to prevent such thefts, still there is a sense of insecurity among people. As a result, some people still prefer using a traditional mode of payment.

To recapitulate, this essay has discussed that easy to use and highly secure interface for payments are the plausible advantages whereas also highlight that increasing cyber attacks for money scams is a credible disadvantage.

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 outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, particularly the focus on convenience and security. However, the development of the disadvantage section is somewhat brief compared to the advantages. While the example regarding Tata Motors is specific, it feels slightly anecdotal. To reach a higher band, ensure that the counter-argument is explored with the same depth as the main argument. Overall, the position is consistent throughout the essay, and the main points are sufficiently supported.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'To expound', 'Additionally', and 'To recapitulate' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the use of 'To elaborate' and 'To exemplify' is a bit formulaic. Improving the flow between sentences by using more varied referencing and substitution would enhance the overall cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good topic-specific terms like 'transaction', 'cyberattacks', and 'plastic money'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'a demerits' (should be 'a demerit') and 'ardent steps' (which is slightly unnatural in this context; 'rigorous' or 'proactive' would be better). The range is sufficient to convey ideas clearly, though it lacks the sophisticated, precise collocations that would characterize a higher band score. The word choice is functional but occasionally lacks variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. Examples include 'Employee were asked' (should be 'Employees'), 'payments... is more secure' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'every time while making a transaction' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally fine, but the sentence structure could be more varied to demonstrate greater control. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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