Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-28

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)

Technology advancement plays a vital role in human’s life. There is conflict whether the use of paper money while shopping will be decreased in future and it will be replaced by card or not. As per my perspective, it could be possible because of its convenience and flexibility. On contrary, few individuals would still prefer cash over card because of their comfort.

Paying through card will be become a trend in coming years because it is easy and safe way to pay. Nobody needs to carry the cash in their bag to they will add their cards in phone which convenient for them to pay. For instance, there will be less risk that someone can steal money from other and easy to tap on machine. Thus, carrying paper money during shopping will be lessen in future and people would love to pay through phones.

However, some people feel comfortable to use cash and they would not give up on that because of their comfort. It gives them satisfaction as they bargain and pay through cash and there is no tax while paying through cash. For example, in India, 70%people opt cash over card. So, it all depends upon the person’s choices whether they are ok with cash or card.

Although, society will not easily give up on paying through cash during shopping but still paying via phones or cards will be increased because of their numerous benefits. I personally prefer to pay through card as it is easy to calculate and manage the expenses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless future and the reasons why some people prefer cash. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'no tax' when using cash is an interesting observation but lacks further explanation or context. The example regarding India is relevant, but the overall argument could be strengthened by exploring deeper socio-economic factors, such as the digital divide or privacy concerns, rather than focusing primarily on 'comfort'. The ideas are relevant but remain at a somewhat superficial level, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main ideas. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'For instance', 'However', and 'Thus', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. The flow between sentences is generally smooth, but there are instances where the connection between ideas could be more sophisticated. For example, the transition between the benefits of card payments and the reluctance to use them could be bridged more effectively to create a more cohesive argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'digital advancement', 'convenience', and 'manage the expenses'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'human’s life' instead of 'human life' or 'carrying paper money... will be lessen' (should be 'lessened'). The repetition of the word 'comfort' to explain why people prefer cash limits the precision of the argument. Expanding the range of synonyms and collocations would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'Paying through card will be become' (double verb), 'Nobody needs to carry the cash in their bag to they will add their cards' (incorrect conjunction/structure), and '70%people' (missing space). Punctuation is generally functional, but the control over complex sentence structures is inconsistent. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy.

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