Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05

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 6.0)

Digital cash is one of the key foundation of modern society. Cashless transactions as the only payment option in future is a no brainer. This essay will discuss why people would not be eager to pay for everything by card.

If we look at past from Barter system to cash in hand and now to cashless transactions, the society has fairly adapted. But a total cashless ecosystem sounds scary. Individuals appreciate the convenience of paying by phone and never ever carrying cash. From small gas station to grocery stores and even buying a car, credit cards play a key role and maintains the credit score as well. However convenient it may sound but it does impact many businesses and old school people who carry cash all the time.

The problem with digital cash is that it takes away the sense of physical possession of an asset. An intangible transaction is scientifically proven to give less amount of dopamine as compared to hard tangible cash. This verdict clearly states that people do not realize they actually paid for something in real life and end up using their card more often than they would have actually spent.

There is also a conspiracy theory that once every single individual have a bank account in future with zero tolerance for cash, it would be the governments controlling the people not vice versa. They would have the power to freeze your account and a person would be unable to do anything about it.

However terrible it may sound but in reality we cannot ignore the convenience of cards and paying apps. Saying that cash is equally beneficial as many business and people still rely on it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless future and the reasons for resistance. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The discussion on the 'dopamine' effect of physical cash is an interesting point, but the argument regarding government control is presented as a 'conspiracy theory' rather than a balanced socio-economic concern, which weakens the academic tone. While the position is clear, some ideas, such as the impact on businesses, are mentioned but not fully explored. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples or deeper analysis for each point raised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However', 'If we look at', and 'There is also', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the connection between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the benefits of digital payments and the 'conspiracy theory' paragraph is abrupt. Paragraphing is generally appropriate, but the final paragraph is very brief and lacks a strong concluding summary that synthesizes the arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'cashless ecosystem', 'intangible transaction', and 'physical possession'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'key foundation of modern society' (should be 'foundations') and 'less amount of dopamine' (should be 'lower levels of dopamine'). While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, some phrasing feels slightly unnatural. To improve, focus on using collocations more accurately and ensuring that your vocabulary choices fit the formal register required for an IELTS essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('credit cards... maintains the credit score' should be 'maintain') and article usage ('the society' should be 'society'). Additionally, there are punctuation and phrasing errors, such as 'once every single individual have' (should be 'has'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and article usage would significantly improve your score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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