Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-31

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)

Nowadays, use of the currency notes is decreasing day by day whether be it in the shops or in the malls. People are leaning more towards online payment options. There is a high possibility that it will replace cash as a payment option in near future. Although, some might not like it because of how complex the system is.

Firstly, as technology is becoming more advance, many countries are seeing rise of counterfeit currencies in the country. It is creating big loss for particular country. As a result, many shops are preferring online payment over cash and it might replace entire option of using cash with digital payment options in the nearest future. For example, after the launch of UPI ( Unified Payment Interface ) in India, the country has seen less use of cash ever than before. Also, digital payments are more easy to track in case of fraud compared to cash payments.

However, many people will be against the use of digital currencies instead of cash. As the process to enable digital payment option in your phone is very stressful. One has to provide their personal details to the phone company or to the wallet app which they might not trust. Another reason might be convenience to pay with cash compared to online payment via card of smartphones. Person can pay with cash in some remote areas where internet might not be available to complete the online transaction. For instance, in areas like Banff, in Alberta, network access is very limited and one cannot pay for some activities over there using their mobile phones.

In conclusion, while online payments are very much safer to use than cash in context to fraud. Due to complex process of setup online payment and not access to it in remote areas might not be feasible option for some people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless society and the reasons for public resistance. The position is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of UPI in India and the issue of network connectivity in remote areas like Banff. However, some points could be more deeply developed; for instance, the discussion on 'complex systems' is a bit brief. Overall, the response covers all requirements well, providing a balanced view that supports the task prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'As a result', 'However', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally good, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother in places. For example, the sentence 'Due to complex process of setup online payment and not access to it in remote areas might not be feasible option' is grammatically fragmented and lacks a clear subject, which slightly disrupts the cohesion of the final paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'counterfeit currencies', 'digital payments', and 'online transaction'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'use of the currency notes' (should be 'use of currency notes'), 'more easy to track' (should be 'easier to track'), and 'not access to it' (should be 'lack of access'). These errors do not impede communication but prevent the response from reaching 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 grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the country has seen less use of cash ever than before'), preposition usage, and sentence fragments. For example, 'Due to complex process of setup online payment...' is an incomplete sentence structure. While the writer attempts complex sentences, the control over them is inconsistent. The errors are noticeable but rarely prevent the reader from understanding the intended message.

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