Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21

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 5.5)

In recent years there have been unprecedented growth of using mobile phones, and it has not been affordable for public due to paying money for receiving subscription for apps. While this trend has significant positive affects for earning money without working hard and accessibilities of new technology, there are negative effects such as it increased unnecessary expenditure, and time consuming access.

In positive side, there are numerous distinct advantages associated with paying money for the apps. Firstly, people could earn money without having an employment, which can become a source of income to feed their family; consequently, unemployment ration could be reduced. For example, for getting Chat-Gpt subscription people need to purchase at cost of $30 per month; resulting maker of this app earn more and more if it become popular among individuals. Secondly, most likely paying apps offer access of integral files, documents or knowledge that people can learn at their own comfort zone without commuting anywhere, which would be ultimately an cheaper option then spending money on institutions.

Despite having these aforementioned benefits, there are several notable drawbacks that cannot be overlooked. The chief detrimental effect would be unproportional expenditure on the apps without having necessity that creates waste of money; hence, it makes people broke and create financial stress. Furthermore, in contemporary era after getting subscription for the gaming app such as Mario and PUBG that creates detrimental effects on kids physical health. To say this, kids spend more likely to spend their leisure time on playing games on phones , and it creates them deterrent to play outdoor games; resulting, they could become couch potato and might this leads to obesity.

To conclude, although paying for getting access for the app on phones has substa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of mobile payment apps. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The argument regarding earning money without employment is somewhat confusing and lacks logical clarity, as it conflates app development with user subscription payments. The conclusion is incomplete, which prevents a clear final position from being established. While the main points are relevant, the explanation of these points often lacks depth or relies on slightly illogical examples, such as the claim that paying for apps reduces unemployment. To improve, ensure that each point is fully explained with logical reasoning and that the essay is brought to a complete, coherent conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay uses basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Despite having these aforementioned benefits' to structure the response. Paragraphing is present, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and grammatical errors that make some sentences difficult to follow. The transition between ideas is sometimes mechanical rather than natural. Furthermore, the abrupt ending of the essay significantly impacts the overall coherence, as the final paragraph is left unfinished. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that all paragraphs, especially the conclusion, are fully developed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'unproportional expenditure' (disproportionate), 'it makes people broke' (informal), and 'creates them deterrent' (acts as a deterrent). While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'subscription', 'expenditure', and 'detrimental', the misuse of these terms limits the precision of the argument. There is also some repetition of basic words. To improve, focus on learning the correct collocations for academic writing and avoid using informal or imprecise phrasing when discussing financial or social impacts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('there have been unprecedented growth'), article usage ('on the apps'), and awkward sentence construction ('it has not been affordable for public'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of semicolons and commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, these recurring errors require the reader to make an effort to interpret the intended message. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors in articles, prepositions, and verb forms.

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