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 fast-paced era, technology plays a crucial role in everyone's life. Therefore, in several nations people are using their smartphones 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 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 acces as people can use it anywhere and anytime. Thus, the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of using mobile payment apps. The student adopts a clear position throughout, concluding that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are generally well supported with examples, such as mentioning specific applications like PayPal and Apple Wallet, and explaining how older people might encounter difficulties or face scams. However, some arguments could be extended further; for instance, the exploration of security risks could delve deeper into technological safeguards rather than stopping at user error. Overall, the task is successfully covered, aligning well with the Band 7 requirements where all parts are addressed and a clear position is maintained.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression. It follows a traditional four-paragraph structure with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs presenting opposing sides, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as "On the one hand side", "Apart from this", and "To Conclude". However, there are minor awkward phrasing issues in transitional markers, such as "On the one hand side" instead of "On the one hand". Paragraphing is handled appropriately, ensuring that each paragraph has a central topic, such as the benefits of digital transactions in the second paragraph and the challenges for the elderly in the third. Progression is smooth overall, earning a solid Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for the task, incorporating less common items such as "financial transactions", "demerits", and "cyber crime". There are, however, some spelling errors and minor inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, such as writing "familia r" (familiar) with a space, "esspecially" (especially), and "acces" (access). Additionally, phrases like "doing payments" could be expressed more naturally as "making payments". Despite these slips, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6 profile well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures, such as "people who are unable to recognise these threats may click those links and loose their money." There is a good variety of sentence structures attempted throughout the essay. However, grammatical errors and spelling slips occur with some frequency, including the spelling error "loose" instead of "lose" and minor punctuation issues. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments easily. This balanced profile corresponds to a Band 6.

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