Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-27

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)

It is observed that majority of nations are facing price hike in using the cellphone applications which were once free. Although, this advancement can benefit the people working behind it but its disadvantages overweigh in terms of disturbing the economic levels of people using these applications. Therefore, I personally believe that paying for application which was free of cost in the past should be unacceptable and higher authorities must pay attention to this rising issue.

Firstly, it is seen that majority of digital apps have used a simple tactic such as providing services for free and then when a consumer is using the application more often, then the companies start charging them. For example, using a social media app was feasible with no advertisement or subscription charges. However, now when you start the app, the first thing a consumer observes is an advertisement running on the app before using the application.

Secondly, majority of OTT platforms are making profits from running the ads and subscription charges. For instance, the brand paying for a advertisement has invested a share to boost its productivity. However, innocent individuals have no choice of skipping the advertisement despite being the subscribed consumer. Thus, it affects their finances and disturb their economic level, just to see their favourite paid series or a movie.

Furthermore. mental stress or physical discomfort may arise. As whatever a person wants to do is paid and nothing can be achieved without paying the fee setup by these app owners. For example, an individual creating a resume on a renowned app and when it is the time to download a copy, the message pops out with a payment option before downloading the resume. How will the person feel at that time? After spending minutes in creating a draft will only be downloaded, if a person pays the app a subscription fee. It is distressing and a person might feel annoyed and tensed. Hence, this advancement can destroy a person's mental health.

In contrast, it can be beneficial for the company in terms of gaining profits and their share prices may rise due to certain demands. However, it should not ignore the fact that how adversely this step can effect its consumers.

To conclude, the higher authorities must pay a close attention on the rising rates and advertisements on the apps. Therefore, proper rules should be set in terms of providing the services with minimum subscription fee as every individual can enjoy the benefits despite belonging to lower middle class or upper middle class.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt but misinterprets the core topic. The prompt asks about 'paying for things using mobile phone apps' (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay, digital wallets), whereas you have written about 'paying for apps' (subscription models and in-app purchases). This is a significant misunderstanding of the task. While you present a clear position and develop your arguments regarding subscription costs and advertisements, the focus is on the wrong subject matter. To improve, ensure you carefully analyze the prompt's keywords. The ideas are extended, but because they address a different topic than the one requested, the score is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Furthermore', and 'In contrast' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the abrupt start of the fourth paragraph with 'Furthermore. mental stress...'. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, but the overall structure could be improved by ensuring that each paragraph flows more naturally into the next rather than relying on simple list-like transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'subscription charges', 'productivity', and 'distressing'. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'price hike in using the cellphone applications' and 'disturb their economic level'. These errors do not impede communication, but they highlight a lack of precision. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations more accurately and incorporating more sophisticated vocabulary related to digital technology and economic impacts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'its disadvantages overweigh' (should be 'outweigh'), 'paying for application' (should be 'paying for applications'), and 'effect its consumers' (should be 'affect'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of periods instead of commas, as seen in 'Furthermore. mental stress'. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your intended meaning. Increasing the accuracy of your complex sentences and proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement will help improve your score.

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