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)

Using cash to pay at shops will be obsolete in future. People would prefer to use debit/credit cards or even phones in the upcoming time. I believe, it is true to some extent, however, to replace the cash completely is questionable. Especially, seniors will prefer to keep using cash as it is more convenient for them.

On the one hand, cards are lot more easier than cash to carry or digital transactions can be done using phones. Nowadays, cards are easily added to the phones which emits the need to carry the physical card as well. Additionally, gadgets like phones are necessary need of this generation so, one can go for shopping with only their phone and at the same time exact amount is paid with the use of digital transaction. For instance, if someone needs to buy coffee which costs $2.68, they do not need to look for pennies and can pay the exact amount using their card.

However, the elder people prefers using cash and they may want to stick to this habit rather than cards and phones. The primary reason is most of them are satisfied with old methods instead of learning new ways to pay. Secondly, while going for shopping someone carries certain amount of cash and even if it get lost, the loss of specific amount but if the card is lost, there is possibility of someone else using the card before reporting it. Moreover, online transactions are the main reason of fraud these days, it has resulted in lots of mental issues among people.

In conclusion, although using digital methods are beneficial yet, it is not possible to emit the use of cash completely because digital methods may lead to fraudulent activities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless society and the reasons why some people might resist this change. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding seniors is a good starting point, but it could be expanded with more specific examples of how digital exclusion affects their daily lives. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and could have better synthesised the main points. Overall, the response covers the requirements well, but the depth of analysis remains at a functional level rather than a fully developed one.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive. For example, the use of 'Secondly' in the third paragraph lacks a preceding 'Firstly'. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'it has resulted in lots of mental issues', where the antecedent for 'it' is slightly ambiguous. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

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 at less common vocabulary, such as 'obsolete' and 'fraudulent activities'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'emits the need' should be 'eliminates the need', and 'necessary need' is redundant. The phrase 'mental issues' is also quite vague in this context. While the range is sufficient to communicate the message, more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed to reach a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the elder people prefers') and incorrect article usage ('the loss of specific amount'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'it is not possible to emit the use of cash'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the meaning, they are frequent enough to indicate a lack of full control over complex structures. More 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.

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