Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-19

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)

In the last few years, people's interest for handling cash has shifted a lot to online banking and bank cards. Most of them assume it is the best way to pay where as others rely on cash and consider it the safest way of paying. I think that online banking will be the priority in future but the cash payment will not disappear completely as well.

As every filed is effected by technology in certain ways, so is the payment and shopping sector. An increasing number of citizens is accepting online method for the conveniences it provides. Initially, people do not have to carry cash with them all the time. Moreover there is no need to use the ATMs as well. Lastly, one has to be very careful when counting and paying because they need to be precise about the amount of a product and the change they owe. However, if they pay using online banking, there are no such things to take care of, which makes it better and widely used. Consequently, this will be seen as the primary method of payments by most of the population.

On the contrary, many still believe using cash is far more better. This is because of the way of using internet banking and cards. For example, working with internet banking is not a piece of cake for some. The security of online accounts and cards' passwords are big tasks for them as it require as lot of efforts to maintain their security. Many elderly people find it difficult to cope up with because they have been doing the traditional way all their lives and feel comfortable that way. As a result, people are satisfied with cash because of no need to remember the passwords and fear of scams.

In conclusion, I presume the mobile payments to be the widespread and most utilized source for paying as it is safer and easy to use, but a lot of folks feel happy with the cash payments, which will help cash not to vanish. The cash will always remain a type of payments.

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 are reluctant to abandon cash. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation regarding why people might be unhappy to give up cash focuses heavily on the elderly and security concerns, which is a good start but could be expanded with more nuanced examples or broader societal implications to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points, maintaining a consistent stance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover', 'Lastly', 'However', and 'On the contrary', which help guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in their structure. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages of digital payments from the concerns regarding cash. The progression of ideas is clear, though the connection between sentences could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'widespread and most utilized source' and 'vanish'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice or awkward phrasing, such as 'interest for handling cash' (interest in) and 'far more better' (a grammatical error that also affects lexical precision). The range is sufficient to communicate the message effectively, but it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'every filed is effected' (field/affected), 'people do not have to carry' (should be 'would not have to'), and 'it require as lot of efforts' (requires/a lot of effort). These errors are noticeable but do not impede overall communication. To improve, the writer should focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and avoiding redundant comparative structures like 'far more better'.

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

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