Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16

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 6.5)

nowadayys, people are incresingly using debit cards, credit cards and mobile devices to purchase things and services. Some people think taht cash may eventually disappear and that all transactions will be conducted electronically. I believe this could occur in the future, although some individuals may be uncomfortable living in acompletely cashless society.

there are several reasond why cashless payments may gain popularity. Firstpaying by card or mobile device is fast and convient. Consumers do not need carry physically currency or wait to recieve change. For example, in canada , many shops and restaurants accept contactless payments, enabling customers to camplete transactions within seconds. In addition, digital payments allow people to monitor their expenditure more effectively because each transaction automatically recirded in their bank account or mobile appication.

However, some individuals may be relucant to abandon cash. One reason is that not every one feels confident using modern technology. Older people, in prticular may find mobile banking and electronic payment systems challenging to operate. Moreover digital payment networks can ocassionally become unavailable because of internet disruptions, technical malfunctions or power failure. Under such circumtances cash remains a highly practical alternative.

Privacy is another significant consideration. when people pay by card or mobile device, details of their purchases may be electronically documented. some individuals may therefore prefer cash because they do not want every transaction to be digitally tracked. Cash can also help customers regulatr their spending asa they can physically observe how much money remains available.

In conclusion, i belive that a cashless society is feasible in the future because e;ectronic payments are convenient and increasingly widwspread. Nevertheless, many people may continue to favour cash because it offers simplicity privacy and dependable accesss during technological failures.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task clearly and directly. The candidate successfully states their opinion that a cashless society is likely to occur in the future and clearly explores why some individuals might be reluctant to give up cash, offering well-developed reasons such as unfamiliarity with technology, concerns over privacy, technological disruptions, and better spending control. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Examples and supporting points are relevant and extend the ideas effectively, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are grouped together logically into paragraphs, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'In addition', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used appropriately to guide the reader, though some minor mechanical errors in punctuation and paragraph transitions occur. Referencing is generally clear, and paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, corresponding well to the Band 7.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The candidate demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task with some flexibility and precision, such as 'cashless society', 'contactless payments', and 'expenditure'. There are attempts to use less common items, but frequent spelling mistakes ('nowadayys', 'incresingly', 'taht', 'acompletely', 'reasond', 'convient', 'camplete', 'recirded', 'relucant', 'prticular', 'ocassionally', 'circumtances', 'regulatr', 'asa', 'e;ectronic', 'widwspread', 'accesss') and occasional word-choice errors are present. While communication is never impeded, these noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies restrict the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating the ability to construct conditional or multi-clause sentences ('Consumers do not need carry physically currency or wait to recieve change', 'When people pay by card or mobile device, details of their purchases may be electronically documented'). However, there are frequent grammatical and mechanical errors, such as missing capitalisation at the start of sentences, missing prepositions ('need carry'), and punctuation slips. Although these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the text from achieving a higher band, making a Band 6.0 the most appropriate descriptor.

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