Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
Technological advancement has revolutionized almost every aspect of modern human life. Payment methods are not an exception. These days most of the people prefer to do payments by card rather than paying cash. I personally believe that there will be both methods available for payment cash and online payment. Online payments can not be fully replaced by cash shopping.
To begin with, it is commonly seen everywhere these days that people using their phones or card to pay the bills. The main reason behind this is that a card is easier to carry than cash. For example, if someone wants to buy an expensive product, for the payment method it is hard to take big amount of money. There is a big risk of robbery or theft when someone is carrying a big amount of cash. That is why a card is a better option in this case. Another compelling argument is that in today's life, smartphones or Apple phones are an inseparable part of everyone. Wherever we go, our phones are always with us. By using the online method for shopping, there is no stress about taking anything else with us.
On the other hand, some people, especially elderly do not like the online or card, instead they prefer cash payment. The main reason behind this is that they are not feeling comfortable with modern technology. So it is hard for them to learn those things.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, but the development is insufficient. While you provide reasons for the shift to digital payments and why some prefer cash, the ideas are under-developed. The essay is also under the 250-word minimum, which significantly impacts your score as the task is not fully completed. To improve, you need to expand your arguments with more detailed examples and ensure you meet the word count requirement. Your position is clear, but the lack of depth prevents a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For instance, you use 'To begin with' and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions, but the internal flow between sentences could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas feels a bit abrupt due to the brevity of the paragraphs. Using a wider variety of linking words would help improve the logical flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'big amount of money' and 'do payments'. There are some inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'do payments' instead of 'make payments' or 'process payments'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to finance and technology, and focus on using words in their correct collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'most of the people prefer to do payments' (should be 'most people prefer to make payments') and 'especially elderly' (should be 'especially the elderly'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the clarity of your writing. Increasing your control over articles and pluralization will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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