Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-25

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)

The use of mobile phones for making payments has become very popular and most people now prefer to use this method.

Advantages of using mobile phone to make payment;

1.Speed and Convinience- Its easy to make payments by just tapping the phone on the pay machine.

2.Many business merchants are supportive and heve implemented the right machines to support mobile phone payments.

3.There are built in security features such as the pin and encryption, face recognition and the use of finger print making it a safe way to make payments.

4.There is automatic record keeping meaning it is easier to track the spend and expenses.

5.Customers can be able to preorder in advance reducing the waiting time at the shop.

Disadvantages

1.Cyber crime -Digital accounts are vulnerable to hacking, data breaches, phishing scams, and identity theft.

2.Technical dependency- The payment can stall if there is no mobile service, runs out of charge or the screen breaks.

3. Digital Exclusion: Older adults or people without smartphones, bank accounts, or reliable internet access can struggle to participate.

4. Loss Risk: Losing a phone can temporarily cut off access to your money until you freeze the accounts

Personally i prefer to use the mobile phone wallet because of its convenience and easy access. I use my mobile phone by tapping on the paying machine. I prefer this method as its also easier to track the spend. I can check the log and see all the payments that have been made. I also receive an alert immediately i make any payment. I have had an experience with the mobile service failing hence it meant i was not able to make the purchase, however this was an isolated case and it happened one time.

In conclusion Using mobile phone payment apps generally has more advantages than disadvantages, as the benefits of speed, safety, and convenience outweigh the risks

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address the question directly and maintain a clear position: mobile payments have more advantages than disadvantages. The response gives relevant reasons on both sides, including security risks, technical failures and digital exclusion, and your personal example of a failed mobile service helps support your view. This meets the task well. However, the ideas are not equally developed: several advantages are presented as brief list items, and claims such as built-in security making payments safe would benefit from qualification, since these features do not remove all risk. To strengthen the response further, explain and compare the most important advantages and disadvantages in connected paragraphs, showing more explicitly why the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence: it introduces the topic, presents advantages and disadvantages, gives personal experience, and concludes with a definite opinion. The numbered lists make the points easy to identify, and the personal example is relevant. However, the list format makes the essay feel more like notes than a developed argument, and the links between ideas are limited. The transition from the disadvantages to your personal preference is abrupt, while the conclusion largely repeats the opening position. Use separate, fully developed paragraphs and linking expressions to show contrast and cause, such as explaining how the convenience benefits compare with the risks. Clearer referencing between points would also make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “encryption,” “phishing scams,” “identity theft,” “digital exclusion” and “automatic record keeping.” These terms communicate the main ideas clearly, and some are appropriately specific to mobile payments. There are also several spelling and word-choice slips, such as “Convinience,” “heve,” “pay machine” and “track the spend,” which reduce precision and polish. Some phrases are repetitive, particularly “mobile phone” and “make payments.” The response shows some awareness of more formal vocabulary, but greater consistency in collocation and spelling would improve control. Aim to use natural expressions such as “payment terminal” and “monitor spending,” and vary repeated wording where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple statements and longer sentences, and the personal-experience section includes a clear complex structure: “I have had an experience with the mobile service failing hence it meant I was not able to make the purchase.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. Examples include “Its easy” without an apostrophe, “Customers can be able to preorder,” and “immediately i make any payment,” where the pronoun should be capitalised. Sentence fragments in the numbered lists and inconsistent capitalisation also limit accuracy. To improve, write the points as complete sentences and check apostrophes, articles, verb patterns and sentence boundaries. More accurate control of these forms would make the argument read more smoothly.

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