Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-18

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)

is In the 21st century, technological improvements has been increasing at a rapid rate. In this world, mostly everyone has a smartphone nowadays. In many nations, individuals are using smartphone for online banking that allows them to pay for things directly from their cell phones. I believe that this trend has more advantages than disadvantages. In this essay, I am going to explore those advantages and disadvantages.

On one hand, using phone to pay for things is considered beneficial by a lot of people. Firstly, it is easy and more convenient to pay using the smartphones, people does not need to keep cash with them every time and it saves time too. Secondly, digital money is more secure. For example, individuals have every record of the transaction they did directly on their phones unlike using cash to buy goods and then can directly send money to their family and friends from anywhere in the world. Lastly, online purchasing. For instance, people can buy anything by sitting in the comfort of their home and it will get delivered directly to their door step which is beneficial for elderly public.

On the other hand, it also have several cons too. The first one, the numbers of illegal hackers are increasing. Elderly folks who do not have much knowledge about the technology may fall easily into scams and frauds and lose their savings. Moreover, digital money is not accessible everywhere. Like, there are various parts in the world that are still not developed and rely only on cash transactions.

To recapitulate, as the technology is improving having digital money is becoming more common in this century. However, individuals have different perspectives about the benefits and limitations of online money. While, I believe that it's pros outweighs it's cons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as convenience and security on the positive side, and security risks and lack of accessibility on the negative side. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'online purchasing' is mentioned but not fully linked to the core topic of mobile payment apps. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and could have been used to better synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is supported by more detailed explanation or specific examples rather than just listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On one hand', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'To recapitulate'. However, some of these are used in a slightly mechanical or repetitive way. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, in the second paragraph, the transition between the benefits of digital records and the ability to send money to family feels abrupt. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'digital money', 'online banking', and 'transactions'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'elderly public' instead of 'the elderly' or 'senior citizens'. Some word choices are repetitive, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or idiomatic collocations that would demonstrate a wider range. To improve, focus on using more precise synonyms and varied academic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('technological improvements has been', 'people does not need', 'it also have'), and punctuation errors, particularly with apostrophes ('it's pros', 'it's cons'). The use of articles is also inconsistent at times. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and pluralization would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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.