Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-08

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 this digital era, with many advancements of technology, it has become convenient and significantly popular to pay online using phone. Some people claims that it is a beneficial while others reject this notion. The trend also has some controversies and the substantial influence has sparked the controversy over the potential impact in the recent years. In my opinion advantages overweigh the disadvantages, and this essay will prove the validity of this perspective.

The first and foremost reason behind this notion is that we can save ourselves from theft and robbery if we pay money via mobile. In these days online banking is very common and it plays a vital role in paying for shopping as well. Furthermore, this payment method is very safe and sound, because crimes of theft are rampant in all societies.

Categorically, discussing it is pertinent to mention that online payment is more easy than to pay by cash. We can lost money when we have cash in our wallets. There are other benefits of the online banking regarding the economy of the country. Experts say that we are more conscious when we pay online rather than cash, therefore there are less chances to waste money on surplus items.

On the other hand, online shopping also have some concerns regarding scams. In newspapers we read daily about the online scams that many people has wasted their fortunes to the scammers. In this case government should play an important role to control these scammers.

To recapitulate, paying by phone is very easy and safe so government and individuals should put their best foot forward to take maximum benefit from this oprtunity

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, and a clear position is maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding 'economy of the country' is mentioned but not explained in any detail, and the point about 'surplus items' is a bit vague. While the response covers all parts of the task, the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended with specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit brief and could have better summarised the main points discussed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'To recapitulate' are used to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly abrupt. For example, the shift from discussing theft to the economy in the second paragraph lacks a smooth connection. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be more sophisticated to improve the logical flow between the arguments presented.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at using less common vocabulary, such as 'pertinent', 'rampant', and 'recapitulate'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'more easy' instead of 'easier', 'we can lost money' instead of 'we can lose money', and 'surplus items' which is slightly unnatural in this context. While communication is not impeded, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and lacks the precision required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that detract from the quality of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Some people claims', 'online shopping also have', 'many people has wasted'), incorrect verb forms ('we can lost'), and missing articles or prepositions. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are persistent throughout the text. To improve, the writer should focus on basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that verb tenses are used consistently across the essay.

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