Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-25

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 several countries, mobile applications are becoming more popular to pay bills. Each coin has two sides, so does this development and modernisation brings with itself. Advantages such as fast paced transactions and no need to carry cash while, in particular cases applications may fail to pay bill.

One of the major advantages why the mobile applications have become common in this age, is fast paced transaction and no hassle of carrying cash physically. This is because there is no need to count the cash, just a single tap can pay an exact amount, leading to save the time for an individual. Moreover, it prevents cash from getting stolen, physically damaging the money, resulting in preserving the money and making the safer transaction. For example, a person has to send the money in other city, if he send the money physically , it could be stolen or any uncertainty could take place. Therefore, mobile apps help to send and transfer money in a safer way.

However, unfavourable conditions like internet failure, app maintenance time could be the biggest disadvantage in which person is unable to make a payment. Additionally, some folks rely on the technology to pay the travel expenses. Unfortunate situations may put the person to face various problems unless, they are carrying cash with them.

In conclusion, although modern technology has few disadvantages, it has numerous advantages. Most of the people are utilising these applications and indeed they are really glad because the problem of carrying cash everywhere has been reduced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of mobile payment apps. The position is clear from the introduction. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'unfavourable conditions' is mentioned but not fully explored with a concrete example, unlike the advantages section. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a balanced level of detail and specific, illustrative examples to support the arguments. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main stance, but the overall depth of the response is closer to the Band 6 level as some points remain slightly underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Therefore', and 'However' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is interrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Each coin has two sides, so does this development and modernisation brings with itself.' Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that sentences flow more naturally into one another would enhance the coherence of the essay. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'fast paced transactions' and 'unfavourable conditions'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'physically damaging the money' and 'making the safer transaction'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of the writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations more accurately and incorporating a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary related to digital finance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'modernisation brings with itself' and 'a person has to send the money in other city'. Punctuation is also inconsistent in places. While the student attempts complex sentences, they are often marred by these persistent errors. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring that complex structures are formed correctly to avoid frequent minor errors.

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