Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-02

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 the upcoming years, cash transactions will not be accepted in shops; instead digital method of payment will take place. I think that it will be the case in the future due to technological advancements. However, the business owners and elderly people will not be satisfied by giving up cash as a payment method.

The payment method will change in the future due to the advancements in technology. To be more specific, technology has made individuals' lives much easier, and people now feel ashamed if they are not following the trends. Therefore, in cashless payment methods seller and buyer can get freedom from calculating cash while shopping or selling goods or services.

For instance, the teller machines can give the shopkeeper an idea of how much they received and the customer an estimate of the money they have in their bank account without the fear of miscalculating cash manually.

In my opinion, people who own businesses and senior citizens may find difficulty in using digital payments. In other words, digital payments will track every single payment, and business owners will not be able to hide any transactions from legal authorities, which will force them to pay taxes to the government. Apart from that, elderly people will also not be happy to give up cash because they cannot adapt to the digital world. They may also feel reluctant to use those payment methods due to the fear of memory loss. For instance, many old-age people suffer from memory loss and cannot remember things, so card or phone payments will require a specific code to proceed any payment.

To conclude, there will be cashless payments in the future due to technological advancements, but businessmen and elderly people will not be happy to adapt to the updated payment version.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear opinion on the future of cash and explaining why certain groups might resist this change. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of tax transparency for business owners and the cognitive challenges for the elderly. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the point about 'feeling ashamed' for not following trends is a bit underdeveloped and lacks a strong logical link to the main argument. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations or nuanced examples to ensure the argument is fully explored.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To be more specific', 'Therefore', and 'Apart from that', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the relationship between ideas is more seamless rather than relying on simple connectors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'technological advancements', 'transactions', and 'legal authorities'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'updated payment version' instead of 'digital payment systems' or 'teller machines' when referring to digital payment interfaces. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and avoid repeating basic phrases like 'payment method' multiple times throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'in cashless payment methods seller and buyer can get freedom' (missing articles) and 'proceed any payment' (should be 'process'). There are also minor issues with pluralization and preposition usage, such as 'many old-age people' instead of 'many elderly people'. The sentence structures are generally functional, but there is a lack of more sophisticated complex structures that would demonstrate higher control. Focusing on article usage and verb-object collocations will help improve your accuracy.

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