Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-07

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)

It is believed that in the forthcoming era, the payments will be made by cards and there will be no more cash payments. In my opinion, online payment will take over physical payment due to some reasons that will be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs.

Predominantly, due to a fast-paced era, everything is going to be online, whether it is bills or any kind of services. Some people find it convenient, but others might not. To elaborate, those who have hectic schedules would prefer to do things online, as it will save their time, but some people do have fear of errors in online stuff. For example, an overaged population is not used to the remote things; when they go for the checkout, they find it difficult to pay with cards, as they used to pay with cash. It's hard for them to trust the cashier. Hence, it will be complicated for the undereducated population.

Moreover, there are more risks of scams. To explain, as technology is advancing day by day, the number of scammers is rising at a high rate too. For instance, the hacker might hack the paying machine, and the customer might be easily robbed. Hence, people are not going to be happy with this change as they believe hands-on payments are trustworthy, which is true.

To conclude, while the payment methods in the future will be going to demolish the cash payments due to the fast-paced life and hectic schedule of the generation, some of the population have to face hurdles as they do not easily trust the shopkeepers.

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 for public resistance. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you mention the elderly and security concerns, these points could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The position is clear, but the conclusion is slightly repetitive and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more robust explanation of the 'why' behind your claims, moving beyond general statements to more detailed reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'Predominantly', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude' to signal the structure. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'online stuff' which is too informal for an IELTS essay. The flow between sentences is generally good, but the connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother to ensure a more cohesive overall argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, but the usage is sometimes imprecise or informal. Phrases like 'online stuff', 'overaged population', and 'remote things' are not natural collocations in an academic context. While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, such as 'demolish' and 'hectic', the word choice is occasionally slightly off-target. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to finance and technology, and avoid overly colloquial phrasing to enhance the professional tone of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'the payments will be made' (unnecessary article), 'the hacker might hack' (awkward phrasing), and 'will be going to demolish' (incorrect tense construction). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in sentence construction that occasionally impede the flow. To reach a higher band, focus on mastering verb tense consistency and reducing errors in article usage and sentence structure.

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

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