Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-24

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)

In the era of modernization, the virtual paying methods has took over the traditional cash payment methods in most parts of the globe. This method comes with both perks and drawbacks of its own. It surely offers handy, safe and rapid transactions, the chaos in cases of loss of device and issues from the banking end should not be neglected.

The major benefit of this development is an instant payment to vendor, within seconds. Which is proven the safest mode too, lately. Moreover, it becomes easier to keep the track of the expenses for the monthly, yearly and customized period, like over vacations or holidays. These apps often breakdown the spending into the essentials, food, clothing and so on. This prevents from a constant headache of to having cash and an exact change in most of the cases. For example, it directly help travelers from exchanging foreign cash, authenticating and understanding the notes and coins.

On the other hand, users often spend more than they should due to impulsive purchases. Some methods offer credit buying, which results in people shopping out of temptation. In addition, the fear of losing device is higher. In some cases, the loss of transaction completed in process of theft has to be covered by the owner itself. Lastly, if there are any major issues from the banking end, the users are prohibited from spending their own money.

In conclusion, this method require user's self control of where and when to use these technologies. It not just provide easier transactions, it also forces users to get things they may not even need. Therefor, I feel this is both a positive and negative invention.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying both advantages and disadvantages. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are generally well-developed. For instance, the discussion on expense tracking and the convenience for travelers provides relevant support for the advantages. Similarly, the points regarding impulsive spending and security risks effectively cover the disadvantages. While the conclusion is slightly brief, the overall development is sufficient to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific, real-world examples rather than general statements to further strengthen the depth of your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition' to link your points. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the sentence fragment 'Which is proven the safest mode too, lately.' Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring that sentences are complete will help improve the flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'modernization', 'transactions', and 'impulsive purchases'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'virtual paying methods' (should be 'digital payment methods') and 'the chaos in cases of loss' (which is slightly unnatural). Additionally, there are minor errors like 'This method require' (subject-verb agreement). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, you need to use more precise collocations and less common lexical items to move into the higher band range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'has took over' (should be 'has taken over'), 'This prevents from a constant headache of to having' (incorrect preposition and infinitive usage), and 'It not just provide' (should be 'It does not just provide'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement, correct verb forms, and prepositional usage will significantly improve your grammatical accuracy.

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

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