Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22

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 way the world is getting digitalized every year, its not that far when everybody is going to use cards or phone to pay off their expenses. The individuals are becoming resistant to use cash while making any purchases in the stores. In my opinion mobile phone or digital means are taking over the use of cash or physical money to buy things and there are numerous aspects of such replacement to occur.

Firstly with the prospective growth in the technology and advancement. The number of transactions are taking place on a regular basis with the advent of online shopping, making payments using debit or credit cards has become more convenient. for instance I am a social media marketer and its hard for me to collect cash from every client by going to their homes/ workplace. Accepting payment from online links save time. Secondly, due to rise in inflation the amount payable is quite high and travelling with bulk of cash is not safe.

In the contrary, there is still a part of society which believes cash is more reliant option to make payments. They are reluctant to this new technology and finds making payments in cash more easier. for instance, the generation Y or mostly the parents and grandparents who are not very versed with the technology or even the use of mobile apps they find it hard to make payments online. The major reason behind this is the generational gap.

In conclusion to survive in the new world of digital enhancement and development credit cards or digital currency. I firmly believe that credit or debit cards or mobile banking have already replaced the paper money to a great extent. It is just the generational gap that is keeping it alive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless future and the reasons for resistance to this change. Your position is clear from the introduction. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While your personal example regarding social media marketing is relevant, the explanation regarding inflation and the safety of carrying cash could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and does not fully synthesize the points made. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more thorough explanation of the 'why' behind your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In the contrary' (which should be 'On the contrary'). While the progression of ideas is generally logical, the flow between sentences can sometimes feel a bit mechanical. The use of referencing is mostly clear, though some transitions between ideas could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for the task, helping the reader follow your argument without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'digitalized', 'prospective growth', and 'generational gap'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'pay off their expenses' (better: 'cover their expenses') and 'more reliant option' (better: 'more reliable option'). Some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'making payments in cash more easier'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as missing articles ('the' technology), subject-verb agreement issues ('they finds'), and punctuation errors (missing commas after introductory phrases). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on proofreading for basic errors like pluralization and verb forms, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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

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