Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-28

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)

As cash payments ratio over the course of last couple of years has dwindle immensly, experts believe that payments through cards and mobile phone will fully take over cash economies. This essay will examine all factors which make up the case that this reality is approaching soon, and how this might impact a class of society who is not willing to accept.

Full digitalisation of a economy is a dream stage of many governments. Minimisation of cash transactions is at the core of government fisal policies becase of its exposure to misuse by misleading characters. Build up of an audit trail is at the core of digital transactions, as it tracebility can be tracked by authorities timely and effectively. It also assist to place a crub on Illegal sale and purchase transactions. For example, India discontinued some currency notes a couple of year ago, which was basically to discourage the use of paper currency, and to trace out big hoardings of bank notes by corrupt groups of the soceity. Morever, easy of use and transact also lyies at the core card and digital transactions. Mobile payment feel easy and swift as individuals have not to carry paper currency.

Having stated above, it also raise concerns by many groups of the society, particularly who are concerned about privacy and digital security of these payment gateways. A surge in cyber attackes, for example, phishing attacks and malwares compromise the privacy and confidentiality of the data. What is more, people are critically concerned about contingency planning in times of natural clamity like earthquake and floods etc. Such unfroseen circumstances can destroy the digital infrastructure in moments; leaving a society at a bigger risk by lost of communication devcies and channels.

Although, there is broad consensus that digital economy is going to take over paper economy, there are still some concerns raised by a certain group of people which should be addressed by authorities so that a foolproof technology is used in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of both questions posed in the prompt, exploring whether a cash-free society will emerge and why some individuals might feel reluctant to abandon cash. The position is clear throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported, particularly regarding governmental fiscal policies, audit trails, and the specific concerns regarding privacy, security, and natural calamities like earthquakes and floods. For example, the student cites the real-world example of India's currency demonetisation to support arguments about discouraging paper currency. While some points are slightly generalized, the overall development satisfies the requirements for a Band 7 level, as all parts of the task are well-covered with relevant examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. The essay is divided into distinct paragraphs that serve individual functions: an introduction setting up the topic, body paragraphs addressing the governmental push for digital economies and the societal concerns, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Having stated above', and 'For example' are used to connect ideas, though occasional mechanical or awkward transitions appear. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to group related ideas together. Referencing is generally clear, though minor cohesive slips keep the response at a Band 6.5 to 7 level; a Band 7 is appropriate due to the overall clear progression and logical structuring of arguments.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for the task, including less common items such as 'digitalisation', 'audit trail', 'confidentiality', and 'contingency planning'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'dwindle immensly' (dwindled immensely), 'fisal' (fiscal), 'becase' (because), 'misleading characters' (malign actors or criminals), 'tracebility' (traceability), 'crub' (curb), 'Morever' (Moreover), 'easy of use' (ease of use), 'lyies' (lies), 'attackes' (attacks), 'malwares' (malware), 'clamity' (calamity), and 'unfroseen' (unforeseen). While these errors do not impede communication, their frequency prevents the score from reaching a Band 7. The vocabulary is adequate and minimally functional for the task, placing it firmly at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability to construct multi-clause sentences. However, frequent grammatical and spelling inaccuracies are present across the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('a class of society who is not willing', 'individuals have not to carry'), incorrect articles ('a economy', 'the society'), and prepositional or structural awkwardness ('it also raise concerns', 'leaving a society at a bigger risk by lost of communication devcies'). These errors persist throughout the response and cause some distraction for the reader, although communication is rarely completely impeded. This pattern of frequent errors alongside a moderate range of structures aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

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