Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

The usage of digital payments has been increasing in last few years. Some people believe that cash will be replaced by digital payments and every transactions will be done via mobile phones or credit cards. I believe the changes will be done in future where all the businesses only accept digital payments. However, older people who are not tech savvy may face technical difficulties to use digital payment methods.

As the digital payments eliminate the need for cash while making payments, shopkeepers receive limited amount of cash. As majority of the payments are cashless, shopkeepers do not have enough cash to manage exchanges for their customers who prefer cash payments. For example, if the customer buy product of 10$ with 100$ of currency note, shopkeeper faces challenges to return their 90$ of change as their businesses mostly work on cashless model. Therefore, shopkeepers will avoid taking payment in cash and they will only support cashless transactions to mitigate exchange issues.

The major disadvantage of using digital payments is that older people may face technical difficulties. This is because older people do not know how to operate smartphones. As a result, they are unable to use digital payments. Because of this, older people still prefer a traditional payment method. If the use of cash will be stopped, they are not able to make payments at all. For example, in India, when 75% of transactions done via UPI, older people was facing technical challenges to use that payment method and feel upset about it. This shows that, older people will be unhappy if businesses do not accept cash.

To conclude, digital payment methods offer convenience as they eliminate the need of cash, which eventually make all transactions on cards or using mobile phones. However, if cash transactions completely replaced by digital payments, older people who are unable to make purchases due to insufficient technical knowledge.

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 for resistance. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the second paragraph focuses on shopkeepers' difficulties with change, which is a valid point, but the third paragraph repeats the issue of 'technical difficulties' for older people multiple times. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on the implications of a cashless society (e.g., privacy concerns or financial exclusion) rather than restating the same point about smartphone usage. Overall, the response is relevant and covers all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'For example', and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel repetitive. For example, the phrase 'older people' is used at the start of almost every sentence in the third paragraph, which makes the writing feel slightly disjointed. Improving the use of referencing (e.g., using 'this demographic' or 'the elderly' instead of repeating 'older people') would enhance the cohesion and make the text read more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'digital payments', 'cashless model', and 'transactions'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'manage exchanges' instead of 'provide change' or 'give change'. Additionally, the repetition of basic words like 'use' and 'people' limits the sophistication of your writing. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and precise collocations related to finance and technology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'every transactions will be done' (subject-verb agreement), 'if the customer buy product' (verb tense), and 'older people was facing' (subject-verb agreement). Furthermore, there are minor issues with article usage and prepositions. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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