Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-31

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 7.0)

In today's technological era, a number of people use advanced payment apps or cards in order to pay the bills of shopping. Due to accessibility, convenience and time-saving as compare to cash methods. Others argue that certain proportion of people will still use traditional payment methods for their safety and comfort.

A growing number of individuals are using various mobile apps and credit cards for payment, because digit methods are accessible and within a minutes consumers can make their payments rather carrying cash. For instance, Google pay is one of the mobile payment app, which is used by millions of people across the world, because this app provide instant payment facility and cashback or voucher, if customers pay their bills via Google pay. Sometimes it is allows them to keep records of their spending and track their amount. Additionally, advanced methods reduced the chances of theft, robbery and improve the safety of customers during shopping. While traditional methods are little bit complex and need time for counting and calculation process. Therefore, I think higher proportion of citizens will shift from cash payments to mobile apps and credit cards in the upcoming future.

However, I think older people will still prefer traditional payment methods, because they find difficulties while using digital apps and credit cards de to less adaption of advanced technologies. Apart from that, this methods would be beneficial during network issue, power shortage or in a rural areas and reduces the chance of inconvenience. Sometimes cashless methods are responsible for online fraud when hackers get confidential account information of users and steal their money. Hence, cash payment will still hold special importance for individuals in the upcoming time.

In conclusion, digital mobile apps and cards offer convenience, save their time, budget-friendly and keep the records of their spending. Whereas, traditional payment methods mitigate the chances of online fraud, suitable for older people and comfortable during power shortage or network issue situations. Therefore, both methods will be used by humankinds in the future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt. You clearly state your position that while digital payments will become dominant, traditional methods will persist. The ideas are relevant, such as the convenience of apps versus the security concerns and accessibility issues for the elderly. However, some points could be developed further; for instance, the discussion on 'online fraud' is a strong point but could be expanded with a more specific example to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers both questions posed in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'However', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader through your argument. While the flow is generally good, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. For example, the use of 'because' and 'therefore' is frequent. Improving the variety of linking phrases and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'this methods') is grammatically accurate would enhance the cohesion of the text. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages of digital payments from the reasons for retaining cash.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'technological era', 'confidential account information', and 'mitigate'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'digit methods' instead of 'digital methods' and 'less adaption' instead of 'lack of adaptation'. Additionally, 'budget-friendly' is used slightly awkwardly in the conclusion. Despite these minor errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly throughout the essay. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring word forms are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and pluralization, such as 'this methods' and 'this app provide'. There are also minor punctuation and article errors throughout the text. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear. To reach a higher band, you should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical consistency, particularly with singular/plural agreement and the correct use of articles, while continuing to experiment with more varied complex sentence structures.

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