Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-29

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 7.0)

Which is a better mode of transaction- digital or cash is a highly debatable topic of discussion. A large portion of society opine that in the upcoming years, all transactions will be made online via bank cards or mobile phones rather than paying by hard money in the convenient stores. Although I strongly believe, this will be the scenario in the future because of the convenience offered by digital currency, there will be a few individuals who will not be satisfied with this change owing to their lack of information about online transactions.

From my standpoint, only one mode of making payments will be prominently used in the next few decades. The primary reason behind this is the convenient method of making payments. Online payments are not only an easier method to do payments but are also time effective . Since there is no cash involved in the payment process, transactions go smoothly via direct bank accounts within seconds by just a single tap through either a bank card or e-wallet. To illustrate, as a worker in a restaurant, it is always challenging for cashier to process cash payment as it consumes more time to calculate the cash and round it off to the nearest number to provide change to customers. Therefore, digital transactions will indeed replace the physical ones in the near future to avoid the excessive time consumption.

On the other hand, there will be some individuals in the future, who might not be willing to adopt the change as they have lack of information about how to make digital payments. Online payments are sometimes, very difficult as there are a number of steps in conducting the process. To cite an example, to pay for a product from Walmart, if the tap of the card is not working or the payment device does not take tap, it becomes hard for customers to remember their security passcodes or their bank account details which makes them helpless in some circumstances. Therefore avoid these, some people prefer to go by conventional methods than opting for advanced ones.

Taking everything into account, I ultimately conclude that due to technology illiteracy of few individuals, not everyone will be able to accept this change equally, however, the digital mode of payments will surely dominate the future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless future and the reasons for resistance. The position is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant, though the development of the second body paragraph is slightly repetitive. For instance, the example regarding Walmart is a bit narrow, focusing on technical failure rather than the broader psychological or social reasons for preferring cash. However, the response is well-structured and covers all requirements of the task effectively, justifying a solid band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used throughout, such as 'From my standpoint', 'To illustrate', and 'Taking everything into account'. While the flow is generally good, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'therefore' and 'in the future'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main ideas. The progression of ideas is logical, making the text easy to follow for the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You use some good collocations like 'digital currency', 'excessive time consumption', and 'conventional methods'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'convenient stores' (should be 'convenience stores') and 'technology illiteracy' (should be 'technological illiteracy'). The range is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the more sophisticated, precise vocabulary that would push the score into the 8.0 range. Overall, the lexical control is good and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'as they have lack of information' (should be 'lack information' or 'have a lack of information') and 'Therefore avoid these' (should be 'Therefore, to avoid these'). Punctuation is generally correct, though there are some minor issues with comma placement. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the errors do not cause difficulty for the reader. You have shown a good attempt at using complex structures, which is a positive feature.

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