Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-10

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 5.0)

in this contemporary era, technolgy is growing at alarming rate day by day. There is debate going on that paying money to use the mobile phone applications is rapidly increasing and now days it is trend. there are a myriad of pros and cons of this . I presume that the merits of this development would surpass the demerits to a major extent. my position is elaborated further with reasons and relevant examples.

to commence with, there are multifarious reasons behind this aspect, the first and foremost is that buying useful apps increase the knowledge of person. to explicate this, if individuals spend money to purchase the apps they will get plenty of information online only download the application in cellphone and get enough knowledge according to their interest. for example, in 2020, a survey was conducted in Canada and its revealed that 70% people paying the money for Udemy app to learn about different types of things and they are succed in life just paying $20 per month instead of paying hundreds of dollars to going institutes and wasting their previous time. hence, it has plethora of benefits.

furthermore, in this fast-paced environment, everyone is busy in their personal life and they don't have sufficient time to meet with their loved ones and sometimes they feel loneliness, boredom and having home sickness. in other words, they can purchase apps such as Netflix, prime video, games apps and so on. for instance, a headlinewas published in a famous newspaper bbc( british board casting coparation) in 1990, 50% people were victim of depression due to homesickness and doctor suggest some apps to spend their time on that rather than on medicines and after sometimes, they healed themselves just because to use few applications. thus, having apps in cellphones giving them entertainment.

in conclusion, although spending money on apps have numerous drawbacks yet this trend has unlimited benefits which individuals cannot imagine and giving them useful merits,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You state a clear overall view—that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages—and give two supporting points: learning through paid apps and entertainment for people who feel isolated. However, the response only partially addresses the question because it does not explain the disadvantages, despite introducing “pros and cons” and acknowledging drawbacks in the conclusion. The first example about Udemy is relevant, but its link to paying for apps is not fully explained; the second example focuses on treating homesickness and depression, which is asserted rather than convincingly supported. Develop the comparison by explaining at least one genuine disadvantage, such as privacy risks or overspending, and show why the benefits are more significant. This would make your position and supporting ideas more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Each body paragraph focuses on a separate benefit, and signposts such as “to commence with,” “furthermore” and “in conclusion” help readers follow the broad sequence. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several ideas are joined in long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the first body paragraph moves from buying apps to gaining knowledge and then to saving money and time without clearly explaining each link. Some transitions, including “hence” and “thus,” announce conclusions rather than showing how the evidence supports them. Use shorter, clearly ordered sentences and connect each example directly to the point it illustrates; also ensure the conclusion reflects the comparison promised in the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of vocabulary, including “fast-paced environment,” “multifarious reasons,” “homesickness” and “surpass,” and the reader can generally understand the intended meaning. However, the range is not consistently controlled: some expressions are unnatural or imprecise, such as “buying useful apps increase the knowledge of person,” “previous time” and “unlimited benefits.” Repeated use of “apps,” “benefits” and “people” also limits precision. There are noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “technolgy,” “succed” and “headlinewas,” which reduce the accuracy of the vocabulary. Aim for natural collocations and precise terms—for example, distinguish between paying for an app and making in-app purchases—and proofread spelling and word forms. This would make your ideas clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional phrasing such as “if individuals spend money to purchase the apps” and a contrast clause beginning “although.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. Examples include “buying useful apps increase,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “50% people were victim,” which is missing grammatical markers and has incorrect number agreement. The sentence beginning “in other words, they can purchase apps” also shifts from loneliness to buying entertainment without a clear grammatical connection to the preceding idea. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, plurals and sentence boundaries. Building shorter, complete sentences first, then adding subordinate clauses carefully, will improve control and readability.

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.