Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-13

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 concept of purchasing things using smart phones with the help of digital wallets has sparked significant discussion. Although this development has several advantages, it also has some disadvatages. This essay will discuss both the positive and negative impacts on digitalization of money before explaining why I believe that advantages outweighs disadvantages.

One major reason behind the latest innovation of digital cards is to prevent theft. This is because carrying money in public leads to pick pockets and even can threaten people's life. For example, there is high chance of loosing cash on wallets when attending public functions, as it is crowed it will be not easy to find the person who stole it. The introduction of mobile apps like google pay or digital wallets particularly for payments ensure the safety of cash as it is password protected. As a result, the hard earned money of people are safeguarded.

Another vital reason is that it helps to improve the saving habits of people. This is particularly important because the banking apps on cellphone allows us to save the money for different purposes in different accounts like savings account and ensuring that we are spending money from the chequing account within our income limit. Handling cash in hand has the tendancy of spending more and also its hard to remember all the cash transactions we made as it lacks records when compared to digital wallets. Digitalization is also the fastest mode of cash transactions. Therefore, It allows us to send the money to another account with no time.

Despite these benefits, digital payments also have some disadvantages. One major concern is that people can become too dependent on technology. For instance, if a person's phone is lost, the battery dies, or there is no internet connection, they may not be able to make a payment when needed. In addition, some people especially older people find it really difficult to learn the new method of paying as they are used with the cash system. But this can be sorted by giving proper understanding of online transaction with their safety.

In conclusion, after considering all these points it can be inferred that the technological advancement made on money that made the cash transactions easy and safe serves more practical and beneficial for people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the advantages of mobile payments outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the points regarding theft prevention and improved financial management. However, some arguments could be more fully developed; for instance, the point about 'saving habits' is a bit vague, and the explanation of how digital wallets specifically improve saving could be more detailed. Overall, the response is well-focused and maintains a consistent position throughout, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.

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, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'One major reason,' 'Another vital reason,' and 'Despite these benefits' are used effectively to link ideas. However, there are occasional minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly abrupt transition between the benefits and the drawbacks. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure supports the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'technological advancement,' 'password protected,' and 'digital wallets' are used correctly. There are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'disadvatages' (disadvantages), 'loosing' (losing), and 'tendancy' (tendency). Additionally, the phrase 'used with the cash system' is slightly unnatural; 'accustomed to using cash' would be more idiomatic. Despite these slips, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the intended meaning clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is a good attempt at complex sentences, there are persistent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the hard earned money of people are safeguarded' should be 'is safeguarded') and minor punctuation errors. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'it is crowed it will be not easy to find the person who stole it.' However, these errors do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout the text.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.