Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11

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 6.0)

Recently, making purchases with banking apps has become very popular.I believe that, this modernization has more benefits than drawbacks.In the 1900’s, mobile phones were not in existence not to even talk of using mobile apps to make payments. However, due to modernization, they are now ubiquitous.

To get the ball rolling, one main advantage of using mobile apps is for convenience and to aid in handling of money.Having a huge sum of money in your purse can be quite risky.With the use of apps, there is no need to withdraw money from the bank before making payments.There are instances you would have top up when the money in your wallet is not enough. In such circumstance ,it is easier to do that with mobile apps.

Furthermore, online shopping has become a trend nowadays.This cannot be done unless you make the purchases using a visa card or a banking app.Very few travel all the way to Dubai ,China etc just to purchase goods.With the use of banking and shopping apps, it is easier to shop anywhere in the world.When shopping in person, there wouldn’t be a need to walk around with a huge amount of money in your purse but rather, you can make use of banking apps.

Although using the mobile apps are more advantageous, they have a few drawbacks.Since online shopping is now common,they have been a lot of reports on fraud .Individuals are easily scammed since we usually provide our bank details to make purchases.With all that is being said ,I still believe modernization has made shopping easier.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile phone apps for payments, presenting a clear position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The ideas are generally relevant, such as convenience, safety compared to carrying physical cash, and the facilitation of online shopping. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, particularly in the third paragraph where online shopping is reiterated without introducing significantly new supporting points. Furthermore, the historical reference to the 1900s is slightly inaccurate regarding mobile phone timelines, though it attempts to provide context. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the essay into an introduction, body paragraphs supporting the stance, a counter-argument paragraph addressing drawbacks, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised, though paragraph boundaries and spacing show mechanical flaws, such as missing spaces after periods (e.g., 'popular.I believe'). Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'To get the ball rolling', 'Furthermore', and 'Although', but some transitional phrases like 'To get the ball rolling' are overly colloquial for an IELTS essay. Referencing and logical progression are generally maintained, but the flow is occasionally disrupted by mechanical formatting issues and abrupt transitions, placing this firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly regarding mobile payments and online shopping. There are attempts to use less common or more formal vocabulary, such as 'modernization', 'ubiquitous', and 'circumstance'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'you would have top up' (missing 'to') and 'there have been a lot of reports on fraud' (typically 'reports of fraud'). Spelling and word formation are generally acceptable, but the limitations in precision and range restrict the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures and subordinate clauses ('When shopping in person, there wouldn’t be a need...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including spacing errors after punctuation marks, missing auxiliary verbs or prepositions ('you would have top up'), subject-verb agreement issues ('Although using the mobile apps are'), and missing articles. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur regularly enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.5 an accurate reflection of grammatical control.

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