Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-21

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 4.5)

The number of individuals who are living separate specifically in the urban areas is more increased in some societies. Although, it can decrease the human attraction with their family members as living alone, but this issue can be mitigated with the help of communication and making friends in the society.

The one main problem that people face while living alone is isolation, as more individuals prefer their working life in the urban area which does not give them enough time to explore the outer world with their friends and family members. The other issue is the communication gap between the people and their loved ones. For instance, the individuals who are working full time, they are sometimes unable to manage their personal and professional life, which effect their relationships. Therefore, this problem really effects their physical and mental health.

This particular situation can be handled with the help of some efforts. The one is that the individuals need to manage their time while living in the urban areas, as they should get enough time to go out and make more friends. Additionally, there are numerous entertainment facilities in the cities so they can get benefits to explore them. Furthermore, people who prefer to stay at home, they can use the social platforms for the communication which really help them to make more connections with others.

In conclusion, although living alone in the urban areas create some problems for the individuals as they loose the bonds with their familyand friends, but i believe that using online applications for the communication with the loved ones and exploring the outer world with some friends can encourage them to develop their connections.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks about the future of cash payments and why people might be reluctant to stop using cash. However, the essay discusses the social issue of people living alone in urban areas. Because the response fails to address the task requirements entirely, it cannot be assessed on the development of ideas related to the prompt. In an official IELTS examination, this would result in a very low score for Task Achievement as the content is irrelevant to the question provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'For instance', 'Therefore', and 'In conclusion'. However, because the content is irrelevant to the prompt, the logical progression of ideas is disconnected from the task. The paragraphing is sufficient, and the flow between sentences is generally logical within the context of the topic the student chose to write about, even though that topic is incorrect.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for expressing basic ideas, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are some awkward collocations, such as 'human attraction with their family members' and 'more increased'. The student relies on repetitive phrasing and basic vocabulary. While the meaning is generally clear, there is little evidence of the ability to use less common lexical items or idiomatic language effectively. The word choice is often imprecise, such as using 'effects' instead of 'affects'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the number of individuals who are living separate... is more increased' (incorrect comparative structure) and 'this problem really effects their physical and mental health' (confusing 'effect' and 'affect'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in sentence construction and subject-verb agreement. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures.

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

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