Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-24

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 era, some individuals think that in future, they no longer able to pay for things by using cash, and all the financial exchanges will be done by card or using phone apps. I think future will be more digital in the sector of payments because it is a better way to track your spendings and less burden on government to print cash notes. However, this eassy will discuss why some people might not be satisfy to alter the cash payments.

To begin with, digital mode of payments not only can help citizens to manage their expenditures and track their insights but also there is certain amount of cost to manufacture currency notes for any government. To explain, it takes considerable amount of time to calculate payment history if they are using cash transaction but if they use digital apps or cards, it takes no time to show your histroy and people can easily record their spendings. Similarly, the government do not want to spend extra amount to print notes. For example, the note of hundered Indian Rupee costs ten Rupee to print and manufacture, this is the reason why governments promoting digital payments.

On the other hand, some people still wants to use cash for payments, due to security concerns and less knowledge of technology. In other words, most of the older generation are not aware about the proper usuage of mobile phones and credit or debit cards, that is why it is significantly hard for them to adopt digital method. Moreover, online payments sometimes have a risk of digital fraud becasue it is very esay to copy the information from the cards and banking portals. Therefore, some individuals still might not happy to give up using cash.

In conclusion, a certain cost for printing a currency note and easy way to track payments insights are the main reason behind the future dependence on card and mobile apps. Nevertheless, I think some people still concern about the security and proper knowledge or process of digital payments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task, discussing both whether a cashless future will happen and why some individuals might be reluctant to give up cash. The writer clearly states their position in the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with reasons, such as government printing costs and tracking expenditures, along with a specific example concerning Indian Rupee notes. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise or remain slightly under-developed, particularly in the conclusion and body paragraphs where examples could be slightly more expansive. Overall, the task response is well-rounded and satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0, ultimately fitting comfortably into Band 6.5 due to the minor limitations in depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is coherent overall with a clear logical organisation and progression. The response is appropriately divided into four paragraphs, following a standard essay structure. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in minor awkward transitions and repetitive sentence starters. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but the flow between sentences within body paragraphs could be smoother to reach higher band levels. These features align the text with Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'contemporary era', 'financial exchanges', and 'digital fraud'. However, there are noticeable word-choice errors, spelling mistakes ('eassy', 'satisfy' instead of 'satisfied', 'hundered', 'usuage', 'becasue', 'esay'), and minor collocation inaccuracies throughout the text. These lexical errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the writing from achieving a higher score. The vocabulary range is minimally sufficient for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are several persistent grammatical errors, such as missing auxiliary verbs in 'they no longer able to pay', subject-verb agreement issues ('the government do not want', 'some people still wants', 'some individuals still might not happy'), and article omissions. Despite these frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments without major difficulty. This performance corresponds to a Band 6.0.

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.