Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-24

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In the future, people may no longer be able to pay for things in shops using cash. All payments may have to be made by card or using phones. Do you think this will happen one day? Why do you think some people might not be happy to give up using cash?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

It has been foreseen that, in years to come, people may no longer be able to purchase items from stores with money. Rather, only bank cards or mobile transfers will be accepted. In my opinion, this is an inevitable situation, and it will be discussed in this essay why some individuals will find it difficult to adapt to this new development.

Firstly, the world is becoming digitalized in such a way that, technology has made things easier for people in the society. Mobile transfers being adapted by the society because this will help to reduce the way cash is handled. Also it reduces the rate of theft in the society. Some persons have described incidents where they are robbed in their way to the market and they lost their cash.

Secondly, using cash transfers in markets will help make transactions easier and also enable them to keep accurate record of their income.

Although, this development can pose as a challenge to most people especially, those people that do not know how to make use of cards or mobile transfer application. Some might say they are scared of being scammed by online fraudsters while others say they the charges from the bank is much and unacceptable.Another group of persons believe that they might be debited while purchasing goods and the money will not be reversed.

In conclusion, although online fraudsters and unreasonable debit alert from banks seems like a good reason why using cards and transfers isn’t something that should be adapted, it is undisputed that using bank cards and transfers for shopping reduces the way cash is handled and also make transactions easier for shops especially in keeping records about the inflow of cash in the market.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless society and the reasons for public resistance. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention theft and record-keeping as benefits, these points are not fully explored or supported with detailed examples. The second part of the prompt regarding why people might be unhappy is addressed, but the arguments (fear of scams, bank charges) are presented in a list-like fashion rather than being deeply analysed. To improve, aim to expand on your points by explaining the 'why' and 'how' more thoroughly, ensuring each paragraph provides a comprehensive view of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt. For instance, the transition between the benefits of digital payments and the challenges is a bit sudden. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the relationship between ideas is more fluid. Additionally, ensure that your referencing (e.g., 'this development') consistently points back to a clear antecedent.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'inevitable', 'digitalized', and 'fraudsters'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'reduce the way cash is handled' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'unreasonable debit alert'. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning collocations—words that naturally go together—and try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to finance and technology to demonstrate a more flexible range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally affect the clarity of your writing. For example, 'technology has made things easier for people in the society' (the article 'the' is unnecessary here), and 'they are robbed in their way' (should be 'on their way'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'the charges from the bank is much'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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