Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18

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)

Over the past few decades, technology has advanced so far that most of the repetitive and inconvinient tasks are done digitally and online. Cash payments are one of the inconvient methods to pay for the general goods that I believe will be thing of the past one day as majority of people will prefer other payment modes such as cards or using phones to digitally transfer the money. However, there will be few individuals who will wish to keep paying the cash.

On one hand, online payments such as card, net banking or using phones to pay for things in stores are convinient options for people that eliminates the need to carry cash. It is also convinient for the seller as well as it greatly reduce the cash management of a business and improve their billings. Furthermore, the online payments have the benefit of tracability which facilitates both sellers and buyers for tax statements and receipts. The buyers can view and analyze where they spent their money which can help them budget their spending. Another added benefit would be that in the event of return and refund, the seller can easily arrange the money transfer to the original payment method and it will be recieved in astonishingly less time and effort than it would if done by cash.

On other hand, some people would despise not being able to pay via cash. Mainly because of trust and privacy issues attached to the online payments. They fear their security credentials might get hijacked when using it in shops and other places that they would not trust. Also, for the elderly managing cards or phone payment may not be the convinient option as they may not be tech savy.

I believe in future cash payments will become obsolete in favor for online payments, however, the stores and financial companies need to address trust and privacy concerns for the general people, as well as educate them before the transition.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing whether cash will become obsolete and why some people might be unhappy to give it up, such as trust and privacy concerns. The writer presents a clear position throughout the essay. The ideas are extended and supported, though some points, like the discussion on refunds and traceability, could have been developed with a bit more real-world depth. Overall, the response meets the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, leaning towards a solid Band 7.0 as the prompt is fully explored and the stance is well-maintained.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently arranged using standard paragraphing techniques, with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing advantages and disadvantages respectively, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'On other hand' are used to guide the reader through the text, although there are minor issues with article usage in transitions (e.g., 'On other hand'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the overall progression of the argument is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, incorporating terms such as 'obsolete', 'traceability', 'credentials', and 'tech savvy'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'inconvinient' (repeated multiple times), 'recieved', and 'tracability', which reflect spelling inaccuracies. Despite these flaws, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows the writer to convey their ideas effectively without impeding communication, placing the response firmly in the Band 6.0 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional ideas. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'paying the cash' instead of 'paying in cash', 'in favor for' instead of 'in favor of', and missing articles (e.g., 'for general people'). However, the majority of simple sentences are clear, and complex structures are attempted with varying success. The errors do not impede communication, making this a clear Band 6.0 performance.

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.