Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-06
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 5.5)
In this modern and fast pase era, every one would looking for a thing that work faster than traditional method. Nowadays, people prefare to pay by online method instead of carring a cash. On the different side, elderly folks find difficulty to use online payment method, so they use cash. If we are looking forward and observed that, people may not able to pay things in shops by using cash. I will explain all the answer in following paragraphs.
I personally think that it will definitely happen one day, because every countries around the world support online payment and educate their country's people about how much online payment mathod is faster and safe than traditional method. First of all, online payment mathod is quite faster. I will elaborate it, I am living in canada, and I want to help my family in india, so if i send them money via post it will take week long amd by online transiction they get money within a 24 hours.
Secondly, Using cash and carring cash is quite difficult as well as risky. To illustrate it, If you carring cash with you and someone steal that cash from you, Instead of you carry one phone in that you have every detail and you can pay whenever and wherever you want without carry bundle of notes with you.
Thirdly, You can inwaste in different county and get more money, Explain it more, You live in India and you are quite interested to invest your money in bitcoin, so you can do it without going there and safely.
In times of india 2026, I read one artical and noticed that 75% of people earn more money by using online investment.
To sum up, In futute definetly Online transiction surpass cash method without any hesitation because, it is safe, faster and most important easy to carry.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the future of cash and the reasons why some people might be reluctant to abandon it. However, the development is uneven. While you provide reasons for the shift to digital payments, the discussion regarding why people might be unhappy to give up cash is underdeveloped and lacks depth. The argument about elderly people is mentioned in the introduction but not expanded upon in the body paragraphs. To improve, ensure that each part of the prompt receives balanced attention and that your arguments are supported with more detailed, logical explanations rather than just listing points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First of all,' 'Secondly,' and 'To sum up.' However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'On the different side' or 'Explain it more.' Additionally, the transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words more naturally and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that flows logically from the previous one.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite limited and repetitive. There are frequent spelling errors, such as 'pase' instead of 'pace,' 'prefare' instead of 'prefer,' 'carring' instead of 'carrying,' and 'transiction' instead of 'transaction.' These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle with precise collocations. To improve, try to expand your range of vocabulary by learning synonyms and practicing the correct spelling of common words used in everyday and professional contexts.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('every one would looking'), article usage ('in india'), and sentence construction ('If you carring cash... Instead of you carry one phone'). These errors are persistent and sometimes make the meaning difficult to grasp. While you attempt complex sentences, they are often faulty. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence structures and proofreading your work to correct common errors in verb tense and word order.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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