Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-16
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)
Purchasing products through mobile apps is become a common at the present time in various nations. It is more advantageous than disadvantage. Youngsters are not prefer to do payment via cash, they like to it via online payment methods which provides huge deals and discounts. If e-payment apps are free of cost then It will definitely a feasible for everyone but because of the maintenance of these apps the government should charge too.
On the one hand, youth can easily do transactions using various apps and they do not like to bring their wallet and purse all the time. Whereas, they will get a huge discount while paying through different applications. For example, HP company offers 30% off using google pay payment where adults attracts most using these type of deals. It provides more freedom to students and a middle class man who can buy it through minimal installment and still they can get a discount.
On the other hand, people are nowadays using this e-payments systems increasingly that may affect of server to store the data into the database. So, for the maintainance perspective the policy makers may charge it any time. For instance, Indian government started taking 0.4% charge on above 2000 rupees and that will be raise soon anytime. Just because of this policy people will not use these applications to frequently.
To conclude that, the policy of the other countries may varies and they may have different rules and regulation for their civilians. E-payment is a good option to boost the economy. Whereas, it will must be free of cost for the nationals so individuals use can it more.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of mobile payment apps, fulfilling the core requirements of the task. A position is presented, noting that it is more advantageous than disadvantageous, though the reasoning around government charges and maintenance feels somewhat tangential to the main debate. Ideas are relevant, such as discounts and convenience, but they are underdeveloped and lack depth. For instance, the mention of the HP company and Google Pay is a specific example, but the explanation of how it affects a 'middle class man' is brief and generalized. Overall, the content addresses the task sufficiently to meet the expectations of Band 6, where relevant ideas are presented, but some aspects lack thorough extension and development.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into four paragraphs with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. However, the logical progression is at times disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing sentence connections. Cohesive devices are used, but they are occasionally mechanical or misused, such as starting a sentence with 'Whereas, they will get a huge discount' or 'To conclude that, the policy of the other countries may varies'. Paragraphing is present, grouping ideas about advantages and disadvantages separately, but internal cohesion within paragraphs suffers from abrupt shifts in thought. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronoun usage like 'buy it through minimal installment'. This places the response comfortably at Band 5, featuring some organization and paragraphing, but lacking clear overall progression and accurate cohesive device usage.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for the topic, incorporating terms such as 'maintenance', 'economy', 'policy makers', and 'transactions'. However, there are frequent word-choice and collocation errors that detract from precision. Examples include 'is become a common at the present time', 'Youngsters are not prefer to do payment via cash', and 'use these applications to frequently'. Furthermore, basic errors like 'maintainance' (spelling) and grammatical infelicities such as 'a middle class man' and 'civilians' show limited control over less common lexical items. The vocabulary is adequate for the task and communication is generally maintained despite the errors, making Band 5 an appropriate reflection of the student's lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent and systematic errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions throughout the text. Noticeable errors include 'is become a common', 'Youngsters are not prefer', 'like to it via online', 'If e-payment apps are free of cost then It will definitely a feasible', 'adults attracts most using these type of deals', and 'policy of the other countries may varies'. These errors cause frequent difficulty for the reader and mean that error-free sentences are the exception rather than the norm. The control of grammar aligns best with Band 5 descriptors, where attempts at complex sentences are often faulty and frequent errors impede clarity.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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