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)

In today's technology based economy, it is often argued that soon people are not able to pay for goods thorough physical money because most payments are preferred by using digital cards or phone apps. Some individuals are not comfortable with digital money because of inconvenience caused by electricity and mobile network . I also believe that due to this, it is not possible to completely avoid using paper money.

To begin with, the use of digital money could increase security and eliminate practices like theft and illegal money, whereas risks like data breach and phone hacks are still involved. Keeping money digitally could give individual a sense of relief from house invansions and thefts, because they barely have any expensive and valueable items at home. Moreover, digital money could wipes out black money, because online transcations are often traceable. Nevertheless, online banking applications are vulnerable to cyberattacks, as hacker could hack any device thorough a link or a phone call and could have unauthourized access to victim's bank account.

On the other side, it is not possible to completely vanish the physical currency, because of an inadequate electricity and mobile network in rural areas. Online transactions are usually done with the help of the internet and lack of network could cause them inconvience, as they are not able to use their own money. Similarly, all the payment machines work with the electricity. Consequently, online payment are mostly accepted and preferred in big cities.

To sum up, there are multiple benefits of using digital payment methods, but we have to be aware of the potential hazards assoicated with it. However, I believe it is not appropriate to fully digitialize money, until the problems such as electricity and internet were completely solved and established in rural areas. These are the reasons why some individuals still prefer to use cash.

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 to this change. The position is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of cyberattacks and infrastructure limitations in rural areas. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the point about 'black money' is introduced but not fully explored in relation to the prompt's core question. While the response covers all requirements, the depth of analysis could be improved to reach a higher band by providing more specific examples or a more nuanced discussion of the societal impact of moving away from cash.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'On the other side', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are instances where referencing could be smoother. For example, the use of 'they' in the third paragraph is slightly ambiguous, as it is unclear if it refers to people in rural areas or the transactions themselves. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'unauthorized access', 'vulnerable', and 'cyberattacks'. However, there are several spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'invansions' (invasions), 'valueable' (valuable), 'transcations' (transactions), and 'assoicated' (associated). Additionally, phrases like 'vanish the physical currency' are slightly unnatural; 'eliminate' or 'phase out' would be more precise. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is an attempt at complex grammar, such as conditional clauses ('until the problems... were completely solved'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with articles ('the' electricity), subject-verb agreement ('hacker could hack'), and preposition usage ('thorough a link'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'most payments are preferred by using digital cards'. While the meaning is consistently clear, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Greater attention to proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.

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.