Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-05

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)

In this modern era, technology have brought up a remarkable changes in people's lives such as mobile phone apps for paying have made people's lives easy.This essay will highlight the advantages of this development.

One of the main advantages of these mobile paying apps is that one can go cashless or without debit/credit card which reduces the risks of theft or being robbed. It is more convenient if person is travelling alone and do not to have to worry about essential belongings. For example, one can use apps like google pay or apple pay and add their debit/credit or master cards to that app wallets. If one is travelling out of country, these mobile paying apps can be used to pay without changing currency notes or doing anything extraordinary as people would do in past.

Adding to the advantages , having online banking app helps to keep the records of day to day transactions and saves one's travel time to bank for visiting for necessary services such as blocking one's card if lost ,that can be completed at home by oneself on these apps. This saves time and helps to prevent the scam use of the debit/credit cards. From my personal experience, once I was not able to find my credit card, I have blocked the card usage from my banking app to prevent scam uses without putting an effort.

To conclude, it can be said that mobile apps have more advantages over disadvantages until or unless someone knows how to use it accurately. The reduced risks of thefts, robbery or scams make mobile paying apps more helpful for people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by focusing on the advantages of mobile payment apps, fulfilling the requirements for a one-sided discussion. A clear position is presented from the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. The ideas presented, such as going cashless to reduce theft and maintaining transaction records, are generally relevant and supported with explanations and a brief personal example. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed rather than fully extended; for instance, the point about international travel could have been expanded with more specific details regarding convenience or exchange rates. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to ensure that every main idea is fully elaborated with deeper analysis and broader supporting details, moving beyond basic examples to more comprehensive arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, demonstrating a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate main points, such as security advantages in the second paragraph and record-keeping benefits in the third. However, cohesion at times feels a bit mechanical or repetitive, particularly with transitional phrases like 'Adding to the advantages'. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional shifts in pronouns and linking create minor bumps in flow. To achieve a higher standard, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure that inter-sentence transitions are smoother and less formulaic, allowing the logical relationship between ideas to emerge more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common phrases such as 'cashless', 'essential belongings', and 'scam use'. Communication is successfully maintained despite some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'mobile paying apps' instead of 'mobile payment apps' and 'scam uses' instead of 'fraudulent transactions'. Spelling is generally accurate, but some lexical choices reveal a reliance on basic or slightly awkward phrasing. To improve lexical resource, the writer should focus on expanding their use of precise collocations and higher-level academic vocabulary, minimizing awkward word formations, and demonstrating greater flexibility in expressing complex concepts clearly and naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use varied structures. There are, however, several notable errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, subject-verb agreement issues appear in phrases like 'technology have brought up a remarkable changes', alongside article omissions and preposition errors such as 'if person is travelling' and 'visiting for necessary services'. Punctuation is occasionally missing, as seen in the run-in sentence following the first paragraph. While these errors do not seriously impede overall communication, they persist throughout the text. To move up to a higher band, the writer must exercise greater control over complex sentence patterns, correct basic agreement and article usage, and ensure a higher proportion of error-free sentences.

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