Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-19

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)

A growing number of people are using various mobile apps for paying their bills, which is become a part of modern life. I think this development brings more advantages as compared to disadvantages for the local community. Using latest payment apps allows the users to pay their bills within a short time and they don't need to carry money for it. However, in certain situations, it would be risky and less comfortable for elder citizens.

On the beneficial side, paying for things via mobile apps is quite common in today's time, because it is time-savvy, convenient, accessibility and keep the record of their spending. For instance, Google Pay is one of the famous online payment app which used by millions of the people across the world. Additionally, it encourage the users to made their payment from their online account within few minutes and save the history of their bills for a long time. Therefore, individuals can check their records and get update regarding their remaining balance from their online account. Moreover, online payment methods mitigate the chances of theft and robbery due to cashless payments, and free from the complex money counting process. Hence, day by day digital apps gain huge popularity over cash methods.

On the drawback side, it would be challenging for older people to use latest mobile apps, because they are less familiar with technologies, which discourage them to stick with traditional payment methods for their convenient and safety. Moreover, online payment raise the chances of online fraud, a number of hackers get the information from users regarding their account and steal their money. So, it would be risky in certain situations. Apart from that, during power shortage, network issue conditions and in rural areas, individuals face problems, if they don't have physical cash for purchasing goods.

In conclusion, advancement of payment methods like mobile apps provide comfort, convenience and track their record of spending for a long time, therefore, it gain huge popularity in many countries. However, every development has their own disadvantages, and for digital payment methods, it would be less suitable for senior citizens, also increase the ratio of online fraud and arduous for user during electricity shortage and network problems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, covering convenience, security, and the challenges faced by elderly users or those in areas with poor infrastructure. However, some points are slightly under-developed; for instance, the explanation of how digital apps mitigate theft could be more detailed. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully expanded with more specific examples or logical consequences to demonstrate a deeper level of analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'On the beneficial side,' 'Additionally,' 'Moreover,' and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasionally the connection between sentences could be tighter. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a solid band 6.5 or 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific terminology like 'cashless payments,' 'mitigate,' and 'arduous.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'time-savvy' (which is not standard usage) and 'accessibility' (used as a noun in a list of adjectives). Some phrasing is slightly awkward, such as 'keep the record of their spending.' Improving the precision of word choice and using more natural collocations would help elevate the score.

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 frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('which is become,' 'it encourage,' 'it gain') and verb forms ('to made their payment'). There are also minor punctuation and article errors throughout. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic tense consistency and ensuring that complex structures are formed accurately.

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