Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-12

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)

Technology has made mankind's life more convinient. One of its great invention is online transaction. It is argued whether using mobile apps for paying bills and shopping has more pros or cons. In my opinion, it is much advantageous for people. I will prove my points in upcoming paragraphs.

To begin with, chances of theft and loses are low. By avoiding carrying big amount of cash, there will be very low cases of losing money and no one can steal it. For example, I went to the mall last month. A women next to me was so worried and when I asked about the situation, she told me that she was hear to buy some gold but now she is not able to find that money. Therefore, we can get rid of these situations.

Another suitable reason is easy to carry and more safety. In today's era, there is no single person who is not using mobile phone. It is very convinient to carry or we can keep it in pocket. Furthermore, whenever we try to do payments online it always asks for security code to make sure that only authorized person is handling the app. For an instance, once my mobile phone had no battery, so borrowed my brother's mobile to pay a bill but failed to do so because I didnot know the passcode. Hence, there is a proper mode of safety and assurance.

By looking at the points in favour of using online payments, it is shown that it has more benefits of using this technology to make world more secure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe mobile payments have more advantages, and you support it with two relevant points—reduced risk of carrying cash and the convenience and security of using a phone. The examples from the mall and your attempt to use your brother’s phone help make these points concrete. However, the discussion is unevenly developed: the first example describes someone losing cash but does not explain how common or significant this risk is, while the security point could clarify that app protections vary. The conclusion restates your view but does not weigh the benefits against any disadvantages. Develop each reason with a clearer explanation and briefly acknowledge a drawback, such as technical failure or fraud, before explaining why the advantages still outweigh it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate advantages, and a concluding statement. Phrases such as “To begin with,” “Another suitable reason,” and “Furthermore” make the sequence easy to follow. This overall arrangement is coherent, but some linking is mechanical, and the relationship between ideas is not always expressed precisely. For example, “Therefore, we can get rid of these situations” refers vaguely to the story rather than identifying the benefit, and “By looking at the points in favour” makes the conclusion feel formulaic. Use clearer references to the specific risks discussed and connect each example directly to its supporting claim. A brief transition acknowledging possible disadvantages would also make the argument’s progression more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “online transaction,” “security code,” “authorized person,” and “payments online.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-form, and collocation errors reduce precision: “convinient,” “loses,” “big amount of cash,” and “easy to carry and more safety.” Some expressions are also unnatural, such as “prove my points in upcoming paragraphs” and “a proper mode of safety and assurance.” These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding your position, but they make the writing less fluent and occasionally require interpretation. Aim for accurate, natural combinations such as “a large amount of cash,” “greater security,” and “make payments through an app,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some longer structures, including a conditional construction in “whenever we try to do payments online it always asks for security code” and a reason clause beginning “because.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur in sentence structure, articles, agreement, and verb forms. For example, “One of its great invention” needs plural agreement, and “A women … was so worried” has incorrect singular/plural agreement. In “so borrowed my brother’s mobile,” the subject is missing, while “she was hear to buy” uses the wrong verb form. Work on checking complete clauses, subject–verb agreement, and articles. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control without sacrificing clarity.

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