Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25

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)

A growing number of people will use cashless payment methods like mobile apps and cards for their convenience instead of traditional methods in the future. I partially agree with the given statement, as digital payments apps provide them instant payment facilities, discounts and reduce the theft rate, whereas cash payment will be still used by older people, dwindle down the ratio of online fraud and convenient during network issues or other conditions. Hence, both methods have their own advantages for the society members.

On the one hand, advanced payment methods brings tremendous benefits to users. Firstly, using mobile apps and cards for shopping will allows them to make them payment within a short time without go with complex counting process and carrying cash for shopping. As a result, it will improve their shopping experience, reduce their burden about bring huge amount of cash and mitigate the chances of theft and robbery in the society. Additionally, a lot of digital cards offers discount to consumers on festivals and holidays, therefore, it saves the customers budget and encourage them to buy more items on a very reasonable price. Apart from that, latest payment methods allows the users to keep their shopping records and track their spending, so they can manage their balance in their account.

On the other hand, cash methods will still hold its importance for the local community, because a number of aged citizens are less comfortable with advanced technologies. Consequently, traditional payment methods offers them sense of safety and convenience during shopping. Moreover, certain hackers take the confidential details from the online payment users and steal their amount. Therefore, it would be risky to share information with anyone. Apart from that, it would be difficult to purchase goods and makes payment during power shortage, internet issues and in rural area, hence try to carry some amount of cash in order to overcome the problems related to mobiles apps.

In conclusion, a balanced approach would be convenient in the future instead of reliant on digital payment methods for paying the bills of shopping. Advanced mobile apps and cards are accessible, budget-friendly, time-saving and track their data of spending. However, cash payment would be better for senior citizens, decrease the chances of online fraud and helpful during electricity problems.

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 cashless payments and explaining why some people might be reluctant to abandon cash. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the mention of security concerns and the needs of the elderly. However, the development is occasionally repetitive, and some points, such as the 'dwindle down the ratio of online fraud' claim, are slightly unclear in their logic. Overall, the response maintains a consistent stance and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Firstly', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the progression is generally clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing (e.g., 'them' in the first paragraph lacks a clear antecedent). Nevertheless, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure supports the development of the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'cashless payment methods', 'confidential details', and 'online fraud'. However, there are several instances of awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'dwindle down the ratio' and 'reduce their burden about bring huge amount'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. A wider range of precise, academic vocabulary would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'methods brings', 'cards offers', 'methods allows') and prepositional usage (e.g., 'without go with', 'reliant on'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of the main points. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic agreement and ensuring that complex structures are formed accurately.

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