Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-23

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 this contemporary world, it is very common where consumers pay mostly either by card or through cell phones for the goods they purchase. It is very rare to see someone using cash for the mode of payment.

With the technological advancement, it is very clear that everyone has a mobile phone with them. Mobile phones which was earlier used only for communication purposes now serve as a medium of payment. Better cell reception and wide spread of 5G antennas are the contributing factors to this development. For instance, to book a train ticket, in the past, people had to wait in long queues at the railway station to buy a ticket with physical cash. But with the introduction of online bookings, the process has become much simpler. With just few taps on the cellphone, a user easily obtains the train ticket and pays via the card and elimantes the use of physical currency.

This online payment method has been a success in India with the introduction of payment through QR codes. Each merchant has their own unique QR code representing their bank account details. When scanned by the consumer, the amount gets credited to the merchant's account within seconds. This eliminates the need of carrying physical cash and avoids unwanted disputes that might occur during payment.

Nevertheless, many people disagree to the use of online payment as they feel they lose the experience of paying with real money.

This has been supported by many consumers where they believe that when paying by physical currency, they are able to track down their expenes much better than compared to paying by card. This results in better savings and encourages them to save better in the future.

In my perspective, the use of money has never changed but just the mode of payment have. With technological developments day by day, it is evident that newer payment methods might arise in the future. It's wise that all the consumers should adapt to the newer ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt well. You clearly state your view that cash usage is declining due to technology and explore why some people are reluctant to give it up, specifically mentioning budgeting and tracking expenses. Your ideas are supported with relevant examples, such as the use of QR codes in India and booking train tickets. While your position is generally clear throughout, the development could be slightly more expansive in the final body paragraph to reach a higher tier of explanation. However, you successfully cover both aspects required by the task prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is generally coherent with a clear overall progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points, such as technological growth and consumer reluctance. Cohesive devices are employed, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as starting multiple sentences with 'with'. Reference words are generally clear, but grouping ideas slightly more tightly would improve the logical flow. Overall, the organizational structure is easy to follow and meets the requirements for a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'technological advancement', 'contemporary world', and 'unique QR code'. However, there are a few word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as writing 'disagree to the use' instead of 'disagree with' or 'oppose', and 'track down their expenes' which contains a spelling error ('expenes') and an awkward collocation. Despite these minor limitations, your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Your writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and conditional-like expressions. There are instances of grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'Mobile phones which was earlier used' (subject-verb agreement error with 'was' instead of 'were') and 'the mode of payment have' (plural/singular mismatch). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors persist, they rarely impede overall communication. The majority of your simple sentences are error-free, placing your grammar securely at the Band 6 level.

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