Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-30

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)

Unlike past, usage of online banking is increasing day by day. It is utterly debatable whether increased use of cellphones for making payments hold more merits or demerits. I strongly believe that online payment methods play a vital role to make people's lives more easier.

What i feel is that by phones being widely available everywhere has made human beings' lives extra convienient. To elaborate on it, people do not require to carry their physical cards or wallets each and everywhere to pay for any services, instead of that they can just use their phones for the payments which is possible with a few finger-taps only which paves a path to protect the money or cards from getting stolen as well as helps people to stay stress-free.

Moreover, it is incredibly straightforward to keep a track of payments which are made online. To explain it, a digital reciept is available right away whenever a person makes any payment with his/her phone which helps to keep a record of cash outflow. To state an example, apple pay keeps record of all the payments a person has made with the exact date and timing which i feel is wonderful to keep a hold of our day-to-day expenses.

Nevertheless, it should not be forgetten that online payment methods are weigh easier to get scammed as compared to physical money. The more persons will use online apps for payments the more there is a risk of them getting scammed by hackers by using artificial intelligence which can cause huge issues in the financial life of a person. For example, scammers scam general by sending a random link to them which can empty their bank accounts within some seconds if they open it.

In conclusion, although this situation have its on advantages and disadvantages, I wholeheartedely hold the view that online applications are an excellent source of payments if used appropriately.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile phone payment apps and clearly stating a personal position in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant and supported with explanations and examples, such as mentioning 'apple pay' and the risk of scammers sending malicious links. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise slightly, and the development could be more sophisticated to reach higher band levels. For instance, the explanation of security risks remains somewhat broad. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5, which is rounded to 6.5 based on standard practice, though for descriptor alignment, a solid 6.0 representing well-organised relevant ideas is appropriate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing specific points, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on transitional phrases like 'To elaborate on it', 'To explain it', and 'To state an example'. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'this situation have its on advantages'. While the logical progression is generally clear, the mechanical nature of the cohesive devices limits the score to Band 6.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'straightforward', 'cash outflow', and 'appropriately'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'convienient' instead of convenient, 'reciept' instead of receipt, 'weigh easier' instead of way easier, and 'wholeheartedely'. Furthermore, phrases like 'keep a hold of' are less natural collocations. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 6, where adequate range is shown alongside recurring lexical inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some attempt at variety. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text. Examples include 'Unlike past, usage of online banking is increasing', 'phones being widely available everywhere has made', 'people do not require to carry', and subject-verb agreement issues such as 'this situation have its on advantages'. Punctuation is also occasionally weak, with run-on tendencies in complex sentences. While the meaning remains clear and communication is not impeded, the frequency of errors places this firmly in the Band 6 category.

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