Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Mobile payment methods have been rapidly normalized recently and the number of users growing at a steady pace in many countries. This change has several advantages and disadvantages on how people pay for things and handle their money. I strongly believe that this is a positive development and has really eased the way people shop.

This revolutionary feature has made it very easy for people to pay at different places, without the need to carry the exact amount or count their change back. People don't really have to carry the pennies in order to pay specific price. Similarly, its easier for merchants by avoiding exact change to return in cash. More importantly, people can pay in any currency when shopping internationally, while all background exchange is handled by their bank. Additionally, all these transactions are captured and logged for users to track and monitor their usage and budgeting needs.

On the contrary, like many things, it has some disadvantages as well. Research has found out that with the ease it brings, it does not put the same mental accountabilty on people as it does when paying with physical money. People tend to have more resistance while spending money when the actual cash is being paid. For example, a person pays more attention when paying for an expensive electronics item in cash, specially when it is something they don't really need. While on the other hand, if they pay using their phones, they probably will pay along without giving it much of a thought.

Conclusively, I think the advantages are great and has really proved to be a great feature for many people. With that being said, I think it comes down to how people use these mobile apps to be able to control their finance better.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both sides of the question and make your position clear from the introduction: you consider mobile payments a positive development. The advantages are supported with relevant examples, including easier transactions, international currency conversion and spending records; you also explain the disadvantage that cashless payments may reduce people’s awareness of spending. This gives the response a clear, relevant argument. Some points, however, are asserted more than fully explained: for instance, the claim that transactions help with budgeting could be linked more explicitly to how users act on that information. The conclusion restates your view but could synthesise the comparison more directly, explaining why the practical benefits outweigh the risk of overspending.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction states your view, the next paragraph develops advantages, a separate paragraph presents a disadvantage, and the conclusion returns to your position. Linking phrases such as “Similarly,” “More importantly,” “On the contrary” and “For example” help readers follow the argument. Paragraphing is appropriate and each main paragraph has a recognisable focus. Some connections are less smooth, however: “while on the other hand” is redundant, and the final sentence shifts from weighing advantages and disadvantages to general advice about controlling finances. Use transitions more selectively and make the conclusion follow directly from the comparison developed in the body.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “transactions,” “internationally,” “budgeting,” and “mental accountability.” These choices help communicate both the convenience and the potential spending risk. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural expressions that limit precision: “normalized” is not the most natural choice for a payment method becoming common, “count their change back” is unclear, and “pay along” does not convey the intended meaning. Spelling errors such as “accountabilty” and “specially” also affect accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling; for example, describe users as becoming “less conscious of their spending” rather than relying on less precise phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while,” “when” and “as,” and most of the argument remains easy to understand. Some grammatical errors persist. The opening sentence is a fragment after “and”: “the number of users growing” needs a finite verb, such as “and the number of users is growing.” There are also agreement errors in “the advantages are great and has really proved” and “its easier,” where the apostrophe is needed in “it’s.” In “a person pays more attention,” the example would be clearer with consistent conditional phrasing. Review subject–verb agreement, sentence completeness and apostrophes to improve control while retaining your varied structures.

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