Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
In many countries, people prefers more mobile phone apps for paying their things. This development is increasing as people finds easy to use mobile phone apps for paying. Although there are disadvantages, I believe the advantages are greater.
On advantage side, I feel it is very easy and convenient for paying their items. Before a decade, people carried more cash/ cheques while purchasing the items. It took much time and effort also for buying one big item. Now after the mobile application such as Phone Pe, Google Pay, Paytm introduced in India, all the transactions happens within a few minutes with minimum steps. This saves lot of times for both the parties: Customer and business person also. In addition to that they can check the bank balance of their accounts, track the expenses , paying their things such as electricity bill, insurance , gas bill, etc all in one single application within few minutes. Example : Previously person went utility service centre for paying their bills , now in one single application anyone can pay the utility bill in anytime as application is 24/7. Also lots of cafes, stores , hotels, etc gave discounts if the payment is done by online. Because it is easy for both the parties and they can confirm the payments within few minutes.
Although, this has some disadvantages for using app for paying. Example : Scam is increasing so much because of online payment. Within a few click or one OTP, all your money gone.
I conclude by saying people should use mobile application for payment but also taking more care because of scams. Never share passwords to anyone nor random OTPs for the safety purpose.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, and a clear position is maintained throughout. The ideas are relevant, particularly the benefits of convenience and the risks of security. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. The discussion on disadvantages is brief and lacks depth compared to the advantages. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the negative aspects, perhaps discussing the digital divide or technical failures, and provide more detailed explanations for your points rather than listing examples. The conclusion is clear, but the overall structure would benefit from more balanced development between the two sides of the argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition to that' and 'Although', but these are sometimes used in a mechanical or slightly repetitive way. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the advantages and the disadvantages is abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through your argument. Referencing is generally clear, but some sentences feel disconnected due to the limited range of cohesive devices.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the topic, using terms like 'transactions', 'utility service', and 'digital security' (implied). However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'paying their things' instead of 'making payments' or 'paying for goods'. Some vocabulary is repetitive, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or 'less common' lexical items that would demonstrate a higher level of control. To improve, focus on learning collocations—for example, instead of 'paying their things', use 'settling bills' or 'conducting financial transactions'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('people prefers', 'people finds') and article usage ('the mobile application', 'in one single application'). There are also issues with pluralization and preposition usage. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing articles or incorrect verb forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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