Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-12

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)

In the coming years, individuals will not be able to pay for their shopping by cash, instead they will pay by cards or online. Some orthodox people may recommend the old ways of paying like cash while others will like this innovation. In my opinion this would be a positive advancement of technology, and most probably it will become true. This essay will explore my ideas regarding my perspective.

First and foremost reason is that it would be very beneficial for the people to pay with card so that there would be less chances of robbery and theft. In addition, it would streamline the process of payments not only at lower level such as small shops but at large levels, for instance at big corporations.

In this digital era, this is a very common phenomenon in many advance countries and is widely spreading in the whole world. It would also facilitate the banking system which leads to the growth of the economy of the country. In this fast paced world it is very important to keep ourselves in the race of adopting new technologies and innovations for the bright and successful future.

On the other hand a lot of people are still stick to their old traditions and life styles. Moreover, they are not ready to change themselves. This attitude of such people is not good for the progress of the society and in the long run of the country. They must think with broad mindedness and accept the reality.

To recapitulate, it has been proved that payment method with card or phone is more beneficial and all the people must adopt this method.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: whether cashless payments will happen in the future and why some people might be unhappy to give up cash. The writer clearly states their position that a cashless society will likely occur and that it represents a positive technological advancement. The first part is supported by discussing security benefits and economic growth. However, the second part regarding why people might be reluctant is somewhat underdeveloped; instead of deeply exploring valid reasons such as privacy concerns or digital literacy gaps, the writer labels traditionalists as close-minded and dismisses their attitude as 'not good for the progress of the society.' While the ideas are relevant, this lack of balanced exploration and slightly sweeping generalisations keep the task response at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs. The introduction outlines the writer's stance, body paragraphs discuss the advantages and the opposing viewpoint respectively, and a conclusion is present. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or overused, such as 'First and foremost reason is that,' which contains a grammatical omission. Referencing and transitional phrasing between sentences can feel abrupt, as seen when jumping from digital trends directly into economic growth. Paragraphing is attempted, though formatting spacing is slightly erratic in the provided text. Overall organisation supports the message, but cohesion requires more natural flow to reach higher band levels.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for communicating the main ideas, featuring attempts at less common items such as 'innovation,' 'streamline,' 'phenomenon,' and 'recapitulate.' However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text. For instance, 'orthodox people' is inappropriately used to describe people attached to traditional payment methods, and 'advance countries' should be 'advanced countries.' Phrases like 'large levels' and 'long run of the country' demonstrate awkward phrasing. While the vocabulary allows the message to be understood, these recurring lexical errors restrict the score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and relative clauses ('so that there would be less chances'). However, the text contains a significant number of grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Examples include missing articles ('is that it would be very beneficial'), incorrect preposition use ('pay for their shopping by cash' instead of 'with cash'), and subject-verb agreement or phrasing slips like 'a lot of people are still stick to their old traditions.' Punctuation and comma splices also occur ('In my opinion this would be a positive advancement...'). These errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.