Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-28

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 this modern era, physical hard cash is getting replaced by online banking and cards day by day. While I think physical cash may get totally replaced by the card and phones but some people may not like giving up using cash for some very obvious reason.

Individuals uses cards and mobile or online banking for some reason. The first point would be convenience. We do not need to bring cash from a bank or atm to pay for things at shop. Our phone and cards gives us freedom to pay anytime any were without carrying plenty of cash. Carrying cash needs us to pay extra attention to our pocket or wallet when we are in public place. While atm and phones saves us from carrying extra wallet that also reduces risk of losing cash or wallet in a critical place. The other point would be the convenience of spending. While making a large transection we can save time by using our cards that prevents us from using large amount of cash.

Some people may disagree about being solely depended on cards and online banking. While cards and other smart methods may reduce their effort but their first concern is that cards are not accepted as all stores. Some businesses are still depending on cash then the other payment methods. Specially older adults then the modern generation prefers to have cash then carrying a bunch of plastic cards. Some of them have a limitation of knowledge about online or phone banking and some of them are not really used to with those modern payment methods. Moreover, technological problems such as hacking is a big reason, individuals prefers to keep physical cash with them rather then keeping in a bank or in mobile wallet.

While there is some major advantage of using cards or mobile banking, but it comes with few drawbacks on the other hand. Adapting new technology and innovation can give us more convenience and security of our hard earned money. By prioritizing the technology all the drawbacks could be solved.

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 for resistance to this change. The position is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant, though some development is slightly repetitive. For instance, the discussion on convenience in the second paragraph could be more concisely articulated to allow for further exploration of the potential societal impacts. The conclusion is a bit brief and could have better synthesised the arguments presented. Overall, the response meets the requirements of the task well, providing a logical progression of ideas that directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a progression of ideas from the benefits of digital payments to the reasons for resistance. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'some' and 'while'. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to better highlight the contrast between the two viewpoints. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'online banking', 'digital payments', and 'technological problems'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'bring cash from a bank' instead of 'withdraw cash' and 'critical place' instead of 'vulnerable situation'. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. Spelling is generally accurate, though some phrasing feels slightly unnatural.

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, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('Individuals uses', 'Our phone and cards gives') and preposition usage ('used to with'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that slightly impede the flow. The writer demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents a higher score. Greater attention to verb forms and sentence construction would improve the overall accuracy.

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