Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-31

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)

Nowadays all over the world more and more people are paying for the cellphone apps they use in their mobile phones. It has become a debatable issue, whether there are more benefits or drawbacks behind this trend. Although, this development has certain drawbacks, but advantages considerably outweigh the disadvantages, which will be explicated in forthcoming paragraphs.

On one hand, the main benefit for paying different apps is the convenience they offer. To explain it, people can make payments in few seconds anytime and anywhere without carrying cash or their physical cards. Not only this, as they no need to travel physical, which helps in saving time and traveling cost. It also reduces queues at shops and restaurants. Additionally, these apps a better record of transactions, which help them in tracking their spending and control their budget. Therefore, these are worth for paying for their convenience and time saving.

On the other hand, this tend has drawbacks as well such risk of cybercrime. To elucidate it, a person has to put all the banking information in order to pay the bills, so scammers or hackers can steal their banking information and might misuse it. Secondly, older people feel difficult to use these apps because sometimes they are not enough familiar with advanced technological systems. As a result, they just waste their money and time, which is not worth paying.

In conclusion, although paying for the cellphone apps leads to some disadvantages such as risk of cybercrime and difficulty to use it for some people but it has more benefits like convenience, saving time and managing budget, which can not be ignored and outweigh disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, covering convenience, budget tracking, cybercrime, and the digital divide. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the point about 'older people' is introduced but not fully explored in terms of how this impacts the overall societal trend. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of the consequences of these trends rather than simply listing them. The position is consistent throughout the essay, which is a strength.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'To explain it', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the phrase 'paying different apps' which lacks a preposition, and the slightly awkward phrasing in the conclusion. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'cybercrime', 'transactions', and 'technological systems'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'paying different apps' (should be 'paying for apps') and 'travel physical' (should be 'travel physically'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of collocations and idiomatic expressions would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'as they no need to travel physical' (should be 'as they do not need to travel physically'), 'these are worth for paying' (should be 'these are worth paying for'), and 'difficulty to use it' (should be 'difficulty in using them'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure could be more varied to demonstrate greater control. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band.

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