Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-12

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 6.5)

It is predicted that digital payment methods will become more popular among customers in the future, and cash will no longer be used to purchase goods. I believe that could possibly be true as technology is improving day-by-day. However, there are some people like senior citizens, who would be unhappy with this approach which I will discuss in the following paragraphs.

Technology has changed the methods of payment and brings ease to shopping without carrying enough cash. It has made check-out quite faster and more convenient. People can manage shopping without worrying about counterfeit money. Moreover, bank cards can be accessed through phone devices and if an individual forget wallet at home, they can still purchase items. Also, Money in cash can be difficult to track when stolen or lost but bank cards are easier to track and can be dismissed within seconds to save from misuse.

With this cashless payments approach, elderly people would be affected the most as they are unfamiliar with the technology. Some people prefer privacy and do not want everything recorded by the system. Moreover, card payments depend on electronic devices, batteries and the internet. In the event of an outage of such facilities, it is not possible to make a payment.So technical problem cause failure in payments and disturb shopping experience. In addition, Some people are strict with their spendings and plan their shopping accordingly. However, with card payments it is control the cash flow and sometimes people spends more than expected.

Overall, payment methods are significantly changing in the upcoming years with the help of technology as it made it easy to carry large amount of money. However, seniors could not feel confident with this apporach as they are more reliable on traditional methods and can manage bills as per the budget.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless future and the reasons why some people might be reluctant to adopt it. The position is clear from the introduction. Ideas are relevant, such as the convenience of digital payments versus the concerns of elderly citizens and technical dependency. However, some points, particularly regarding the 'privacy' aspect and the 'strict spending' argument, are somewhat under-developed. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or elaborate on the consequences of these issues to ensure the argument is fully extended rather than just mentioned.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'However', to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the transition between the benefits of digital payments and the drawbacks could be smoother. Additionally, there are minor issues with referencing and sentence-level flow, such as the abrupt transition in the third paragraph: 'So technical problem cause failure in payments and disturb shopping experience.' Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences will enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'counterfeit money', 'digital payment methods', and 'outage'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'brings ease to shopping' or 'dismissed within seconds' (when referring to cards). You also have some minor word-choice errors, such as 'if an individual forget wallet' (missing article) and 'it is control the cash flow' (grammatical error). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that your vocabulary choices are consistently accurate in a formal context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include: 'if an individual forget wallet' (subject-verb agreement), 'technical problem cause failure' (pluralization), and 'seniors could not feel confident with this apporach' (spelling and tense usage). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and sentence fragments. To achieve a higher band, you need to increase the frequency of error-free sentences and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and pluralization.

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

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