Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-09

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)

In this cutting edge of era, phones are the one of necessary gadget for people. Individuals have to spend money to run the applications in the smartphones and this is very normal in thesedays. This inovation have more drawbacks then benefits, which i will explain in upcoming paragraphs.

To begin with, there some pros of paid apps. This will be economically beneficial for app developers. To explain it more, as people will pay for using the features of apps, which will directly increase the income of that company and with that money they cannot only develop the application more but also they can inovate something new. Therefore, this way will help to the orgnization to get success. For example: Chatgpt is the one of famous Al bot. The company give paid version, which help them to grow more.

On the other hand, there are many cons of paid applications. Firstly, It is putting impact on low income people. To justify it more, some of individuals do not have that much money to spend on the paid version of a app, so they can either stay behind in work or they have to spend more time on things. For example: while doing study some student have to get online classes on apps and students, who have enough money will get the information while other kids will have to find other ways. Secondly, sometimes it is waste of money. Because some of people get the app subscription one time and set it on auto payment due to this app will deduct the money every month even they are using it or not. Thus, this will put effect on peoples pocket.

In conclusion, although it is an advantage for the owners of app because they will get money from it but it have disadvantages on middle class people and it can be the waste of money.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, and you include relevant points about developers’ income, affordability for lower-income users, and unwanted recurring charges. However, the response only partly addresses the precise question: it discusses paid apps and subscriptions generally, rather than the increasingly common practice of paying for things using mobile phone apps. The example about students accessing online classes also shifts attention from payment methods to paid app access, and the ChatGPT example is only briefly explained. To strengthen the response, focus on mobile payments themselves—for example, convenience and speed versus fraud, privacy risks, or overspending—and develop each point with a clear explanation or specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph presenting an advantage, a paragraph outlining disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the direction of the argument. Within paragraphs, however, progression is sometimes mechanical, with repeated frames such as “To explain it more” and “To justify it more.” Some links between claims and examples are also unclear: the online-class example does not directly illustrate paying for goods or services through a phone app. Use fewer formulaic transitions and make each example explicitly support the point immediately before it. This would make the argument’s progression smoother and the connections between ideas clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “income,” “paid version,” “subscription,” and “auto payment.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the intended meaning less clear. For instance, “phones are the one of necessary gadget” and “putting impact on low income people” are not natural expressions; “smartphones are essential devices” and “affecting people on low incomes” would be clearer. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “inovation,” “thesedays,” and “orgnization.” Build a bank of accurate phrases for mobile payments and practise checking spelling and collocations so your vocabulary is more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “as people will pay for using the features of apps” and a relative clause in “students, who have enough money.” However, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, and sentence formation occur frequently enough to affect clarity. Examples include “This inovation have more drawbacks,” “there some pros,” and “it have disadvantages”; these need forms such as “This innovation has,” “there are some pros,” and “it has disadvantages.” The sentence beginning “Because some of people…” is also a fragment. Practise building accurate subject–verb patterns and complete sentences before adding subordinate clauses, then proofread for articles and agreement.

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