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 the upcoming years, cash would be no longer a legal tender instead purchase might happen only through digital currencies. I believe that it is inevitable because changes in payment method have been occurring from ages, and few people would possibly not accept this because of lack of trust and generation gap.

Revolution in the filed of transactions has been occurring since human existence, and it is considered as a healthy development. This is because, the human society is developing and its main target is to make life easier. This trend also seen in the history of money, where different societies evolved through accepting a new method of payment, and among all timeline the current digital payment is smoother and faster. For instance, compare to the past people would not need to bring money everywhere for purchases, instead by just tapping a phone would able them to pay.

However, there are some loopholes like piracy would become hurdle to convince civilians, especially when the whole population has to move on the same platform. To simplify, hackers might corrupt the ecosystem and collect the vital information related to the bank account. Another important issue is that old generation is lacking behind, and for them this technology is quiet challenging to learn. Therefore, they could likely show some resistance to move on, and may prefer cash over digital payments. For instance, many elders are facing difficulty to operate smartphone because they are not used to with.

In conclusion, paper money may become useless in the future and digitalization of currencies would happen. I maintain that this will be a real future as changes are happening by the time, while few feel uncomfortable due to the risk of breaching of vital information and a generation gap in the field of technology.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt. You clearly state your position that a cashless society is inevitable and provide two distinct reasons why some people might resist this change: security concerns (piracy) and the generation gap. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, though the explanation of the 'generation gap' could be further extended with more specific examples of how digital exclusion affects daily life. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points discussed in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'However', 'To simplify', and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'among all timeline' or 'by the time'. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking phrases to ensure a more natural, sophisticated connection between arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'legal tender', 'digital currencies', 'ecosystem', and 'breaching'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices or minor errors, such as 'filed' instead of 'field', 'lacking behind' instead of 'lagging behind', and 'used to with' instead of 'used to it'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on collocations and ensuring that less common words are used in the correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical slips, such as 'cash would be no longer a legal tender' (missing 'a'), 'changes... have been occurring from ages' (should be 'for ages'), and 'tapping a phone would able them' (should be 'enable'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in sentence construction. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more error-free complex sentences and ensure consistent control over verb tenses and word forms.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.