Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-17

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)

Many people believed that online payments has a significant impact in one's daily life. These has become a widely known means of paying goods. There are some advantages on this however there are also downsides. This write up will discuss the pros and cons.

Firstly, online payments offers convenience. For example, if you are buying clothes online, you can easily just scan the qr code and pay. Another benefit that we can get is you can save a lot of time such as not wasting time to line up in the physical store. In addition to this is you are no longer need to transport. This is very essential especially nowadays, that we are experiencing unhealthy air conditions due to haze in our area.

On the other hand, while having access on online payment has been advantageous, there are some negative impacts. One of these is being scammed. A lot of online transactions have been reportedly getting scammed from false sellers. For example, being ask to pay the goods ahead of time before delivery and later on after the payment has been sent, the said seller would disappear. Another is being hacked online. Police received high volumes of complaints regarding online bank users getting hacked. This is very alarming because your hard earned money may be gone in just one wrong click.

Online payments has made our life easier and convenient. However, availing this service should be used with precaution. Consumers should always validate and verify before doing any transactions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the question by presenting benefits and risks, with relevant examples such as paying by QR code, avoiding queues, scams, and hacked bank accounts. However, the task asks whether mobile-app payments have more advantages or disadvantages, and your position on this comparison is not clear: the conclusion says they make life easier but also advises caution, without stating which side outweighs the other. Several points are also only briefly explained, particularly the claim about avoiding transport and the effect of haze. State your judgement clearly in the introduction and conclusion, then explain why the benefits or risks are more significant, using the examples to support that comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, a paragraph on risks, and a concluding statement. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “On the other hand,” and “For example” help readers follow the main points, and the examples generally sit beside the ideas they illustrate. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some flexibility in linking. To strengthen progression further, make the relationship between points more explicit and avoid awkward transitions such as “In addition to this is.” The conclusion should also draw together the comparison, rather than simply repeat that payments are convenient and require caution.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “online transactions,” “false sellers,” “hacked,” and “hard earned money.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, which makes some sentences less natural. For example, “paying goods” and “negative impacts” are imprecise in context, while “getting scammed from false sellers” is awkwardly expressed. “Online payments” is also repeated frequently. Build a more precise range around digital payments, such as “make a payment,” “fraudulent sellers,” and “unauthorised access,” and check that phrases sound natural in context. These changes would improve clarity and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional example (“if you are buying clothes online”) and a contrast clause beginning “while.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make the reader pause. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “online payments has” and “online payments offers”; “These has” also has an agreement error. Other examples include “you are no longer need to transport” and “being ask to pay,” where verb forms are faulty. Some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward, such as “In addition to this is you are…” Practise agreement, auxiliary verbs, and participle forms, and proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb. More accurate control of these patterns is the main priority.

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.