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 upcoming years, people choose to pay their bills by using a online payment methods or credit card methods via phone but they not like to pay by cash this trend will notice in public

To begin with, I think in future every one like to use phone applications to pay their shopping, every day expenses and for transactions. The foremost reason for preferable by public is it gives conveniency, easy and approachable for every one. The method is easy to use because person just need to touch their phone on the reader and payment is gone through via online banking networks. Moreover, these means people do not need to aware about the mathematical calculations which saves time and effort also they feel stress free as they do not need to carry cash every where. Public is free from pick pockets and enjoy their time without being stressed about money. For instance, in India goggle pay application is being used by 85% population in the year 2019 which is widely succussed.

According to my perception people are not happy to use online payment methods because they are not aware of advancement in technology made their life easy to live. Furthermore, people have a habit to stick with their own comfort and choose to pay by cash as they used to do before. Also People have a fear of being fraud with online banking system and not having a enough knowledge how to use the internet. The people dislike the new payment method because of their own comfort and security.

To conclude, Change is inevitable public will gain the trust of new system and start using it with the passage of time and reliable sources to use it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: whether cash will disappear and why some people might be unhappy to give it up. The writer attempts to cover both aspects, noting the convenience of digital payments as well as security fears and habits associated with cash. However, the development of ideas is limited and somewhat repetitive. For instance, the explanation of why people dislike online payments mentions 'comfort and security' multiple times without deeply exploring the psychological or practical barriers. The position is generally clear, though the supporting examples lack depth. This performance aligns well with Band 5.5 to 6.0, fitting the Band 6 descriptor for addressing all parts of the task with relevant ideas, even though some are under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, attempting an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, which provides a coherent overall arrangement. However, logical progression is frequently hindered by awkward phrasing and abrupt transitions. For example, moving from the benefits of digital payments to the reasons people dislike them feels disjointed. Cohesive devices are occasionally used, but referencing and linking are sometimes faulty or mechanical, such as 'According to my perception' and 'Also People have a fear'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks smoothness. Overall, the organizational structure meets the criteria for Band 5.0, where some organization is evident, but clear progression and effective cohesion are lacking.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'conveniency', 'mathematical calculations', and 'inevitable'. However, there are notable lexical errors and imprecise word choices throughout the text, such as 'payment is gone through' instead of 'goes through', 'goggle pay' instead of 'Google Pay', and 'succussed' instead of 'successful'. Repetition of phrases like 'own comfort' also limits the lexical range. These errors do not entirely impede communication, as the reader can still grasp the intended meaning, which places the vocabulary squarely at Band 5.0, characterized by a limited but minimally adequate range with noticeable errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent errors in verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. Examples include 'people choose to pay... but they not like', 'every one like to use', and 'people have a fear of being fraud with online banking system'. Punctuation is also problematic, with run-on sentences and missing capitalization. While some simple sentences are formed correctly, the frequent errors in complex structures often cause difficulty for the reader and impede fluent reading. This performance corresponds to Band 5.0, where attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty and errors are recurrent.

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

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