Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-05

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 6.0)

There are several modes of money transaction services available in the society. In upcoming future, citizens are more likely to shift on cashless transaction by credit/debit cards or net banking while shopping from the retail shops. Although society moving continuous towards digital payments, I do not agree that cash will entirely disappear as some netizens are still pay in cash because of security concerns, financial stability and digital literacy.

One of the main reason I disagree is that not everyone has equal access to the technology facilities. There are number of small villages which have no banks located near by area and surviving with inadequate electricity supply. In such conditions cash payments are more convenient option when there is no internet connectivity and during power outage. For example, Elder people, those living in rural area may not a bank account which make them unable to rely solely on cashless payments.

Another reason is that cash transactions control overspending and secure individuals' privacy. There is no need of sharing such personal information while cash purchasing unlike electronic payments. Furthermore, Cash payments limits unnecessary spending as you are aware of how much money have left in your hand which allows people to plan a budget for future savings. To exemplify, last month my cousin has noticed drastic change in spending pattern and saved 20% more than usual as he was having an online banking error for a whole month.

To conclude, Although digital payments easily accessible, there is a strong evident that cash transactions will not be extinct fully because it is convenient way for all people and offers flexibility in budgeting and personal security.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless future and the reasons why some people might resist this change. The position is clear from the introduction. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the points regarding digital literacy and privacy are relevant, the explanation could be more nuanced. For instance, the example of the cousin's banking error is a bit anecdotal and could be better integrated to support the broader argument about financial control. Overall, the response covers all requirements, but the depth of analysis is more consistent with a Band 6.0 or 6.5 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Furthermore', and 'To exemplify' are used to link ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical or awkward, such as in the opening sentence: 'There are several modes of money transaction services available in the society.' The transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph could be smoother. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'digital literacy' and 'spending pattern'. However, there are also some inaccuracies and non-idiomatic phrasing, such as 'surviving with inadequate electricity' (instead of 'coping with') and 'strong evident' (instead of 'strong evidence'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but the lack of precision in word choice prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the society', 'the retail shops'), subject-verb agreement ('netizens are still pay'), and preposition usage ('near by area'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and tense errors, such as 'my cousin has noticed' (should be 'noticed') and 'cash payments limits' (should be 'limit'). These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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