Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-20

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)

So, In the future people are no longer to pay for the things in shops with cash it has both consequences negative or positive. If we look at the future the Youth is engaging in using mobiles and internet and peoples consider to carry cash with them as a libality rather than the mode of saving. Because the future is uncertain when we carry cash with us so it creates a thought in mind of mental pressure and peoples have to be careful from of theifs and any mishappening. And even there are many positive outcomes of using card payments beacuse it provides cashbacks and many benefits so people consider to pay by cards rather than using cash. And this change will be going to happen some day for sure because is it the easy way to do payment and even if we pay in cash we have to carry changes of coins its hard to keep and from my perspective its a good way to do payments and keep yourself up to date with your finances. Even, it has some negative limitations as well peoples get dependent on the mobile phones or card if we lost our card or phone battery is discharged so it becomes a difficult problem in that situation. For example, When i was traveling to city Iforgot my charger at home and I did not use cards that time, I only use cash and mobile phone, so my mobile got discharged and I want to buy something to eat but I don't have mobile phone and cash so I decided to carry cash it great in some situations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses both parts of the prompt: whether cash will disappear and why some people might be unhappy to give it up. The writer takes a clear position that cashless transactions will become the norm due to convenience, while also acknowledging the negative aspects, such as dependency on technology. Ideas are relevant, discussing youth habits, security concerns, and financial tracking, though they are somewhat conversational and occasionally lack full extension. For example, the point about theft and mental pressure is introduced but not deeply explored before moving on to card benefits. Nevertheless, all requirements of the task are met, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor where all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, even if some are slightly under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay demonstrates a basic logical flow and an overall coherent arrangement, but it suffers significantly from poor paragraphing and run-on sentence structures. The entire response is written as a single, massive paragraph, which impairs the readability and cohesion of the text. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or repetitive (e.g., 'And', 'Even', 'Because'), leading to a mechanical feel. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the sudden transition into the personal anecdote about forgetting a charger at the end of the text. Paragraphing is not used sufficiently or appropriately, which places this text firmly at a Band 5 for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating ideas related to finance and daily habits. Words like 'consequences', 'uncertain', 'dependency', and 'finances' show a reasonable capability. However, there are noticeable limitations and word choice inaccuracies, such as 'libality' instead of 'liability', 'theifs' instead of 'thieves', and 'carry changes of coins'. Furthermore, phrasing can be awkward, as seen in 'peoples consider to carry cash'. These errors reflect a Band 5 profile, where vocabulary is minimally adequate and noticeable errors in spelling and word choice cause some difficulty, though communication remains mostly intact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability to link ideas with subordinate clauses (e.g., 'If we look at the future...'). However, the grammatical control is heavily compromised by run-on sentences, missing punctuation, and frequent structural errors. For instance, 'So, In the future people are no longer to pay...' and '...because is it the easy way...' contain fundamental structural flaws. Punctuation is largely neglected, resulting in long, breathless sentences that run together without proper periods. These frequent errors and the lack of reliable control over complex structures place the grammar score at a Band 5.

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