Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-13

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)

In the future, nobody will use cash money to purchase items in the stores. There are many people who believe that all the payments will be done by using cards or using mobile banking app in the phones. I completely agree with this statement because it is quite faster and more convenient process. Many people may not be happy because online payments can be fraud or scam, and difficult for older people.

Many people prefer to pay for things which they buy by using credit or debit card. This is because people may not have to carry cash money in the wallet or the pocket. They can buy anything from any store or malls by paying bills withing a minute. For example, many travellers can visit different countries and they can purchase gifts and other items for their friends or relatives, by using cards, such as American Express instead of carring country's currency in the pocket. As a result, it is quite convenient for many people who prefer to pay online.

The primary reason is that older people face difficulties when using online banking. This is mainly because they may struggle to use new technology and can become vulnerable to scams or fraud, especially when they share security codes with unknown people. For instance, many older people are less familiar with modern technology; therefore, they may accidentally disclose their banking information to fraudsters and lose their money.

In conclusion, cash payments will disappear in the future because I believe that online payments are faster and more flexible. However, some people, especially older generations, might not be happy to give up using cash because they think that cash payments are safer and more secure without worrying about scams.

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 not be happy to give it up. In the introduction, the writer clearly states a position ('I completely agree with this statement because it is quite faster and more convenient process'). Ideas are extended with relevant examples, such as travellers using cards abroad and older people struggling with new technology. However, the development in places is slightly repetitive, and the final conclusion introduces a slight contradiction by stating that older people think cash payments are safer, whereas the body paragraph correctly noted that they struggle with online scams. This places the performance firmly at Band 6, as all parts of the task are addressed with relevant ideas, though some areas could be more fully and consistently developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement with a distinct introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the benefits of cards in the second paragraph and the challenges faced by older people in the third. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas together, such as 'This is because', 'For example', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as starting multiple sentences with 'Many people'. Overall, the logical progression is clear enough to satisfy the Band 6 descriptors, where cohesion is generally functional despite minor faults.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to the prompt such as 'mobile banking app', 'credit or debit card', and 'fraudsters'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally accompanied by minor word-choice or collocation errors, such as 'cash money' (redundant) and 'withing a minute' (typographical/spelling error for 'within'). Spelling is generally acceptable ('travellers', 'familiar'), and communication is never impeded. These characteristics align well with the Band 6 descriptor, which requires an adequate range with some inaccuracy and spelling errors that do not hinder understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses ('people who prefer to pay online') and conditional or causal structures ('This is mainly because they may struggle'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, such as 'it is quite faster' (should be 'much faster'), 'carring country's currency' (spelling and missing article), and 'payments can be fraud or scam' (should be 'fraudulent or scams'). Despite these persistent errors, the meaning is always clear and punctuation is generally sound. This represents a typical Band 6 profile, featuring a mix of structures and non-impeding grammatical errors.

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

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