Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-22
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)
In today's world, technology plays a crucial role in everyone's life. Therefore, in several nations people are using their smart phones applications such as Apple pay for their purchases instead of doing payments with traditional methods. This essay will discuss both the pros and cons of this trend in the upcoming paragraphs.
On the one hand side, there are numerous factors that encourage people to use their cellphones for their financial transactions as it is more convenient rather than using cash. This is because, individuals can easily purchase goods from any corner of the world by transfering digital money which saves their time as well. Apart from this, it also provides a history of all the transaction bills that people can save in their emails in case they want to return or exchange their items. In addition to this, applications like Paypal, Remitly or Apple wallet are very useful in emergencies when people do not have cash or physical cards to pay their bills.
On the other hand side, there are also some demerits of this growing popularity as it is not suitable for older people. This is because, they are not so familia r with advanced technology which sometimes creates difficulties for them. As a result, this is highly risky for older generation as they can easily get scammed while doing online transactions. For Example, scammers can send fake messages or payment links and people who are unable to recognise these threats may click those links and loose their money.
To Conclude, there is no doubt that, cyber crime is becoming a main issue for the society esspecially for older community while doing their digital transactions. However, paying for things by using mobile phone applications are more convenient and easy to access as people can use it anywhere and anytime. Thus, the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response effectively addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile payment apps and clearly stating a position in the conclusion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are relevant and supported with explanations and examples, such as reference to applications like Apple Pay, PayPal, and Remitly, and the risk of online scams for older generations. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The development of ideas is generally clear, though some points could have been extended further to reach a higher tier. Overall, the task is well-addressed and meets the criteria for a Band 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay presents a clear logical organisation and overall progression. It is divided into an introduction, two body paragraphs (one for pros, one for cons), and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal relationships between ideas, such as 'On the one hand side', 'Apart from this', and 'To Conclude', although phrases like 'On the one hand side' contain minor unnatural phrasing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments. However, referencing is occasionally repetitive or slightly mechanical, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Cohesion is generally managed well, supporting a Band 6.5 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'financial transactions', 'cyber crime', and 'digital money'. However, there are some noticeable lexical inaccuracies and spelling errors, such as 'smart phones' instead of 'smartphones', 'familia r' with a spacing error, and 'esspecially' instead of 'especially'. Word choice is sometimes basic, and collocation is occasionally awkward, such as 'doing payments' instead of 'making payments'. Despite these errors, communication is not impeded, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'people who are unable to recognise these threats may click those links'. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text, including 'transfering' with a single 'r', 'transaction bills' collocation issues, and minor run-on tendencies in complex sentences. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout the response. The control over grammar aligns well with the Band 6.0 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.