Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-30
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)
In today's era, technology is gowing by heights. In every factor, it is becoming extremely specific and everyday comes with new updates.
Firstly, I would like mention some points regarding the topic, which paying for mobile applications becoming very common. There are several factors that make people to buy or subscribe the plans. Many apps provide some exclusive features, for example I use chat got application to find some quick information on daily small topics and when I started using this app it was very limited to details and there was a limit of questions and used to show some irrelevant commercials. So, I decided to go for premium plan and which made me amazed, because it was very helpful in all means and became more useful.
On the other hand, this trend has some negative impacts as well. Some application makers, start giving free use features for limited time and make them depend on those apps as a convenient use. However, after a period of time they ask for monthly pricing plans which is a very clever market strategy. So, users ended up paying for membership in fear of loosing to those features. In my own experience there was an app I started using with my friends to capture pictures and collecting memories. We were really connected on that application for last few years, but recently app started showing that I have to pay for the storage otherwise I would loose all my memories. So I ended up paying for that app and I felt scammed a bit.
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 both advantages and disadvantages of mobile payment apps. However, the development is somewhat limited. The argument regarding advantages focuses narrowly on personal experience with a specific AI app, while the disadvantages section relies on a personal anecdote about storage fees. The response lacks a clear, overarching position or a balanced conclusion that synthesizes the arguments. To improve, you should broaden your scope beyond personal anecdotes to discuss the wider societal or economic implications of this trend, ensuring a more formal and analytical tone throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the flow between ideas is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is abrupt. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly' and 'On the other hand', the internal structure of the paragraphs is occasionally disjointed. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'So, I decided to go for premium plan and which made me amazed'. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'technology is gowing by heights' (which is non-standard) and 'make them depend'. There are also some word-choice errors, such as 'loosing' instead of 'losing' and 'commercials' instead of 'advertisements'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and academic vocabulary related to technology and consumer behavior, while ensuring accurate spelling and word formation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'I would like mention' (missing 'to'), 'everyday comes with new updates' (should be 'every day'), and 'I felt scammed a bit'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors suggests a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of verb patterns and sentence construction to achieve a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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