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)

It is undeniable that technology makes our life easy and convenient.However,nowadays most people prefer to pay their bills through the digital apps in their smartphones like online banking ,paytm and paypal etcetera.While there are a few disadvantages of using smartphones for paying bill,I believe advantages are far more.

There are certain drawbacks of using digital apps for paying the things we want to purchase or bills.To begin with, with the increase of technology the cyber crimes are also increasing.These apps requires alot of knowledge and security.Some people are not familiar with this technology and even with the features of smartphones properly like old generation.Hence ,sometimes they lose their money due to unexpected circumstances.Secondly, internet is always requires to operate these apps and internet is expensive too.Therefore, it may become problematic where there is no internet connection.For example, in rural areas there is always a problem of internet connection, so it is hard for people to rely on these apps.

However, there are some benefits of using smartphones for shopping and bill payments.The first and foremost advantage is that its really convenient and effective.Earlier, people have to wait in queue for paying their bills in offices which wasted their lots of time and energy.Hence, today they can pay their bills with the help of digital apps on smartphones.Moreover,nowadays people who do shopping online or through online banking regularly get many benefits like rewards,discounts and they get cashback on some items etcetera.Besides this, security is the main reason if we use with proper knowledge and safety procedures. Traditionally, its hard to handle too much cash in homes and people were afraid to go anywhere .

In conclusion,i would like to reiterate that although there are a few drawbacks of using digital apps to pay bills for things, I believe benefits are outweigh them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you acknowledge drawbacks but argue that the advantages are greater, and the conclusion restates this view. You address both sides with relevant points, including cybercrime, limited internet access, convenience, time savings, and cashback or discounts. The examples about older people and rural areas help make the disadvantages concrete, while the contrast with waiting in queues supports your main argument. This fits a response that covers the task and extends its ideas. To strengthen it further, develop the security point in the benefits paragraph: “security is the main reason if we use with proper knowledge” is asserted rather than explained, and it does not clearly show how app payments are safer. A more specific example or explanation would make the comparison more convincing and balanced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on disadvantages, a paragraph on advantages, and a conclusion. The progression from one side of the argument to the other is easy to follow, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “Secondly,” “However,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. Ideas within each main paragraph are generally grouped logically. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, with repeated transitions such as “Moreover,” “Hence,” and “Besides this” doing much of the work. The final sentence also repeats the position without adding a final synthesis. To improve, use clearer links between cause and consequence, and make references more precise—for example, specify what “these apps” refers to when moving between online shopping and bill payment.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to discuss digital payments, including “cyber crimes,” “internet connection,” “online banking,” “rewards,” “discounts,” and “cashback.” This gives the response a relevant range, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are noticeably inaccurate or repetitive, which limits precision: “paying the things we want to purchase,” “paying bill,” and “its really convenient and effective” are not natural formulations in this context. “Alot” and “etcetera” also reduce the accuracy and formality of the writing. Aim to learn common collocations for this topic and use more precise terms, such as “make payments,” “transaction security,” and “cashless payments.” This would make your ideas sound more natural and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “although,” “which,” and “so,” and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, errors occur frequently in sentence construction and agreement. For example, “These apps requires” should have a plural verb, while “internet is always requires” has an incorrect verb pattern. The conclusion’s “benefits are outweigh them” also combines incompatible structures. Articles and sentence boundaries need attention: “paying their bills in offices” and “However,nowadays” illustrate issues with article use and spacing after punctuation. Some sentences are long and joined with commas, making them harder to control. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, verb patterns, and punctuation, then check each sentence for a complete and correctly formed clause.

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