Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-24

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 the future, cash may no longer be accepted as a method of payment in shops, and people may have to rely on bank cards or mobile phones to make purchases. In todays society i believe that cash will be vanished because there might be concerns for security and theft.

There are several reasons why cashless payment is becoming popular. First and Foremost reason is paying by card and mobile phones is easy rather than carrying lots of money and coins. People can easily do transactions with the help of phones and they don't need a wallet for that. Secondly, Its also difficult to travel and go to bank just for withdrawing money but if you use cash rather than phone you will not have record of money that you spent so instead use phone for transactions. However, you can manage all finance and keep a record of money that you spent. For Instance, i always do online transactions and pay by card so i have all my records that i spent on my groceries and food.

However, not everyone likes the disappear of cash because elderly people are not familiar with technology and the process to use phones. If you don't have phone network you cannot pay further and there might be technical issues. so, it's better to carry some cash. There are lots of scams going on this days that people and online website hack your information and use it for frauds.

In conclusion, people will be fully dependent on online transactions as they are easy, quick, and convenient to use. On the other side, eliminating cash can be problematic so from my perspective, both cash and digital payment should remain available for people's comfort.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, including the prediction about the future of cash and the reasons why some people might be reluctant to abandon it. The position is clear throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits of digital payments are explained, the explanation regarding why cash might disappear due to 'security and theft' is slightly contradictory, as digital systems also face security risks. The ideas are relevant, but some points, such as the mention of 'technical issues,' could have been expanded with more specific examples to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-focused on the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. The use of cohesive devices such as 'First and Foremost,' 'Secondly,' 'However,' and 'In conclusion' helps guide the reader through the argument. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical or awkward, such as the transition in the second paragraph: 'but if you use cash rather than phone you will not have record of money that you spent so instead use phone for transactions.' The referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression within sentences could be smoother to avoid repetitive phrasing.

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 'transactions' and 'eliminating,' which are used appropriately. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'cash will be vanished' (should be 'will vanish' or 'will have vanished') and 'disappear of cash' (should be 'disappearance of cash'). These errors do not impede communication but indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations to reach a higher band.

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 errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include missing articles ('go to bank'), subject-verb agreement issues ('people and online website hack'), and punctuation errors (missing commas and incorrect capitalization of 'Its'). The sentence structure is sometimes repetitive, and the control over complex sentences is inconsistent. While these errors rarely prevent the reader from understanding the message, they are frequent enough to limit the score in this criterion.

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