Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-10

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)

Mode of payments is always the concern during ages, Earlier cash was the only medium to pay for any goods or service. while, in future individual may no longer prefer that and switch to digital way, like card or mobile phones. I believe this is the new trend and would be widely accepted in near future. Still, there would be many unhappy about this and would only prefer spending through Bills. It will be articulated in upcoming paragraphs.

First and foremost, people feel the money in hand and value that rather virtual money. Earlier, when people use to keep cash in their pocket they tend to feel about being rich. Though, notes used to value more as compared to now as the purchasing power was high before. For example, in 90's era price for 4 litre of milk was $1, but now same milk is easily sold at 8$. It means that purchasing power was more earlier than now.

On the other hand, virtual money is more secured than actual money, as there is always a risk of theft, tear or demonetization.

If you carry actual bills for spending, that could easily rob by thieves or a country can stop that notes by demonetization. so, in any of the case actual money losses its value while the virtual money in card or phones still remains valuable. Moreover, we tend to overuse the money when in virtual form as just tapping card or scanning from phone in shops does not realize the spending when compared to one by using cash.

To conclude, individual will always find difficult to spend money though cash rather than mobile phone, both have their own pro and cons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the likelihood of a cashless future and the reasons for resistance. However, the development of ideas is uneven. The discussion on purchasing power in the second paragraph is largely irrelevant to the core question of why people might be reluctant to abandon cash. The argument regarding the 'psychological' aspect of holding cash is a strong point, but it is not fully explored. To reach a higher band, you should focus more on the specific concerns people have, such as privacy, technological exclusion, or the fear of system failures, rather than drifting into historical economic comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is sometimes hindered by awkward transitions and unclear referencing. For example, the phrase 'It will be articulated in upcoming paragraphs' is a mechanical way to introduce the essay structure. While cohesive devices like 'First and foremost' and 'On the other hand' are used, they are sometimes followed by points that do not logically flow from the previous sentence. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not effectively summarise the main arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'spending through Bills' (instead of 'using cash') and 'actual money losses its value' (should be 'loses'). The use of 'demonitization' is relevant, but the overall range is limited. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('notes used to value more'), incorrect verb tenses ('when people use to keep'), and article usage ('in 90's era'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for common errors like pluralisation and verb forms.

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

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