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 people are no longer 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 inconveniences caused by electricity and mobile network. I also believe that, 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 a house invansions and the public 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 unauthorized access to a 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 the rural areas. Online transactions are usually done with the help of internet and a lack of network could cause them inconvience, as they are not able to use their own money when necessary. Similarly, all the payment machines works 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 digitalialize money, until the problems such as electricity and internet were completely solved and established in the 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 all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position on the future of cash and explaining why some individuals are reluctant to abandon it. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of security concerns and infrastructure limitations in rural areas. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on 'black money' is a good point but could have been expanded with more depth. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main arguments. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with more detailed examples or logical consequences.

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, such as the benefits of digital money or the limitations of infrastructure. 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 minor issues with referencing, such as the vague use of 'they' in the third paragraph when referring to people in rural areas. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'vulnerable', 'cyberattacks', and 'unauthorized access'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing or word choice errors, such as 'thorough physical money' (instead of 'using physical money'), 'wipes out' (should be 'wipe out'), and 'digitalialize' (should be 'digitize'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do highlight a lack of precision in word choice that prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('all the payment machines works'), incorrect article usage ('an inadequate electricity'), and awkward sentence construction ('because of an inadequate electricity and mobile network'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are unnecessary commas, such as in the phrase 'I also believe that, it is not possible'. The errors are noticeable and occur frequently, though they do not prevent the reader from understanding the intended message.

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