Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-29
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)
These days Individuals are paying a huge amount of money in the term of subscription for using some apps in mobile phone. This trend has become common among the people of many nations. I believe that it does have more disadvantages than its advantages for some following reasons.
On the one hand, the need of using cellphones are highly in demand across the world because of its features. The some renowned companies are also launching some apps such as apple music, prime video and more and they charge a amount of money every month. They provide more options in the terms of entertainment and knowledge after paying just a little amount of money. Not only this , these apps provide ad free service to their customers which saves their plenty of time. People feel more easier to use these apps instead of free apps. Therefore, these are the merits of using the paid apps in the mobile phones.
On the other hand, the drawbacks of the subscription apps are more serious towards its benefits. I believe these apps provide more features and offers to their customers, however they charge a plenty of money that puts a pressure on the pocket of the people not only this it also waste their huge amount of time. People are getting lazy and they use these kinds of apps a lot to just entertain them. Moreover, individuals are losing their social interactions because of these apps, and they are becoming isolated from the society day by day. Hence, the apps could be easy to use but it has more serious consequences on the life of a person.
To conclude, the paid apps are becoming common around the world, however this development has more demerits than its merits of using these apps across the globe.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of mobile payment apps. However, the interpretation of the prompt is slightly confused. The prompt asks about 'paying for things using mobile phone apps' (e.g., Apple Pay, digital wallets), but the essay focuses almost exclusively on 'subscription apps' (e.g., Apple Music, Prime Video). This shift in focus means the response does not fully address the core topic of mobile payment technology. While a position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly regarding the 'waste of time' and 'laziness' arguments, which are not clearly linked to the act of paying via mobile.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Not only this,' and 'Hence, the apps could be easy to use but it has more serious consequences.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly with the use of 'these' and 'it' when referring back to previous concepts. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved with more varied transition signals.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic phrasing, such as 'huge amount of money,' 'a lot,' and 'some.' Some collocations are unnatural, such as 'feel more easier' (should be 'find it easier') and 'pressure on the pocket.' While the meaning is clear, the student struggles to use less common lexical items effectively. There is also some repetition of words like 'apps' and 'money' throughout the text, indicating a limited vocabulary range for discussing technology and finance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, such as 'the need of using cellphones are highly in demand' (should be 'is') and 'it also waste their huge amount of time' (should be 'wastes'). Punctuation is also problematic, with missing commas and incorrect spacing before punctuation marks (e.g., 'Not only this ,'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to distract the reader and demonstrate a lack of control over complex grammatical forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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