Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-14

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)

In upcoming years, I can guarantee that people will end up paying bills in cash for any purchases. As a result of increasing technologies and due to safety measures, individuals prefer to pay by cards or by cellphones. On the other hand, some old school people love to pay cash in stores.

According to my prospective, the persons who are not giving up the usage of cash, because they might lack of current technologies or it might be a reason of insecurities such as if the card will stop working at payment time. For instance, I went to grocery store last week and one lady was standing at a bill counter and struggling to tap at billing machine to pay for groceries. She seems bit nervous because she has the single way to do payment at that time. After trying couples of times, she has to wait aside and figure out what's wrong with card. As a result, this can be a reason for carrying cash to use in such kind of situation.

Addition to it, I believe, if we are spending cash for our daily expenses, it helps us to spend within a budget as we always count and pay at stores. Such as, I bought some clothes and makeup products for myself to attend one of my close friend's wedding occasions. I set a maximum budget for $100, but I paid by card at every place even without checking the totals bills, I just tapped my card. After arriving at home, the moment I checked my transactions I was shocked because I spent double of my budget.

In conclusion, I would say carrying cash has its own benefits, that's why people are not fully depending on to pay by cards.

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 prefer cash. However, the opening sentence contradicts the rest of the essay by stating that people will 'end up paying bills in cash,' which confuses the reader regarding your position. While you provide relevant personal examples, such as the lady at the grocery store and your own budgeting struggles, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. To reach a higher band, ensure your introduction clearly states your stance and avoid internal contradictions that undermine your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each focusing on a specific point. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the other hand,' 'For instance,' and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions, such as 'Addition to it,' which is non-standard. Referencing is generally clear, but the progression of ideas could be smoother if you used a wider variety of linking words to connect your personal anecdotes more naturally to the broader argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'things,' 'pay,' and 'money.' There are also some noticeable errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'old school people' (informal), 'prospective' (should be 'perspective'), and 'couples of times' (should be 'a couple of times'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to finance and technology, such as 'digital transactions,' 'financial autonomy,' or 'technological barriers,' and ensure you use words in their correct grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'it might be a reason of insecurities' (should be 'due to insecurities'), 'she has the single way' (should be 'only way'), and 'I just tapped my card' (tense consistency issues). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are inconsistent throughout. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic tense consistency and article usage.

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

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