Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-27

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 6.0)

Many countries are now welcoming a cashless economy. One can pay for anything with just a single tap on the mobile phone app. This has both advantages and disdvantages.

There are multiple advantages of paying for things using a mobile phone app. It makes our lives very easy by reducing efforts. Earlier, it took us to reach out to our wallets/handbags, locate the cash, count the cash, and then pay. Now, technology has made it very convenient for us. All we have to do is just go to the app and type-in the amount, and transfer. Bigger amounts can also be transferred within minutes. For example: many times, for people commuting in a rickshaw, often do not have enough change to give to the driver. Paying through mobile apps, cuts all the stress and makes it very quick.

On the hindsight, one-click-pay has disadvantages too. Online fraud has increased tenfolds. With new technology, there are new frauds. Often times, when you have the NFC on, on your phone, anyone with a point of sale (POS) machine can tap against your phone for any amount. Besides, keeping a track of your individual finance gets difficult. You keep tapping and spending, only to realize, you have already spent a lot for the day. For

example: I personally, have been on the receiving end of not being able to keep a track of the payments for the month as tap makes it extremely convenient.

In my personal opinion, this development is more advantageous as it makes our lives simple and cuts down the time consumed for rambling for cash. If you look at it, the disdvantages can be taken care off, by being aware about all the online mobile app scams and by setting up a monthly tap limit, so you know you don't exceed it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the question and state a clear position: mobile payments are “more advantageous.” The examples about paying a rickshaw driver and losing track of monthly spending make the discussion relevant and personal. Your conclusion also recognises that fraud and overspending can be managed, which helps explain your judgement. This meets the task well, with some of the development expected at a stronger level. However, the advantages are mainly explained through convenience and speed, while the disadvantages receive more specific treatment, including NFC fraud and spending habits. Develop the benefits beyond convenience, or explain more fully how safeguards reduce the risks, to make the comparison more balanced and your position more convincingly supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a concluding opinion. The progression from general claims to examples is usually easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the hindsight” and “In my personal opinion” help identify shifts. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, however, because several sentences begin with “Now,” “Often,” or “For example,” and the examples are introduced with a colon in a way that interrupts the flow. The final paragraph also combines the judgement and proposed solutions quite abruptly. Use a wider range of linking and referencing, and connect each example more smoothly to the claim it supports, so the argument progresses more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “cashless economy,” “online fraud,” “point of sale,” and “monthly tap limit.” These terms help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning remains clear despite some inaccurate or informal choices. For example, “cuts all the stress” and “rambling for cash” are not natural collocations in this context, while “disdvantages” is misspelled more than once. “On the hindsight” is also an inaccurate expression. Aim for more precise, natural phrasing and check spelling carefully; this would make the argument sound more controlled and appropriately formal. You can retain the personal examples while choosing wording that is less conversational.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most ideas can be understood without difficulty. The sentence beginning “Earlier, it took us to reach out…” attempts a sequence of actions, while “if you look at it” introduces a conditional structure. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction and punctuation. For instance, “for people commuting in a rickshaw, often do not have enough change” lacks a clear subject for “do not have,” and “I personally, have been…” places commas incorrectly. The sentence “cuts all the stress and makes it very quick” also has an unclear subject reference. Review clause structure, comma placement, and agreement between subjects and verbs to improve accuracy while keeping your varied sentence patterns.

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