Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-29

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)

There is alot of conspiracys about no longer need cash as currency, therefore all payments will be completed by using bank cards or mobile phones, such as apple pay.

Personally, i think this is very likely to occur. One reason would be the fact that it will more effcient. For example alot of people will be wasting time withdrawing money before making a purchase.Therefore using a card or apple pay will reduce the overall process to make a purchase.

Secondly, another positive reason for only using card or apple pay, would be the fact that all transactions will be traceable. This is an advantage for the goverment, as it will be reducing the problems with tax fraud and unknown transactions.

On the other hand, some people might be against this case, due to people being a certain age. For example elderly people dont seem to be as in touch with technology, compared to the younger generation. Therefore using your phone to make a purchase could become very confusing and frustrating. Also it seems alot of people who are self employed seem to prefer completing work for cash payment. This is mainly due to less paperwork, and like i said previously to avoid paying tax which they would argue is unfair.

Overall, in my opinion i believe cash less payments could be beneficial in a time saving sense, however i believe things should stay the way they are. This would keep majority of the population satisfied, and happy rather than causing problem that isnt needed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: whether a cashless future will happen, and why some people might be unhappy about giving up cash. The writer establishes a clear position right away, stating that it is very likely to occur while also exploring the counterarguments regarding elderly citizens and self-employed individuals. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant explanations, such as efficiency and tax transparency. However, some arguments tend to over-generalize slightly, such as claiming 'alot of people who are self employed seem to prefer completing work for cash payment'. Overall, the task is adequately addressed in line with Band 6.5 or 7.0 standards, fulfilling all prompt requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression. The essay is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs supporting the shift, a counter-perspective paragraph, and a concluding thought. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'On the other hand', and 'Overall' are utilized to guide the reader through the arguments. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as using 'like i said previously', and there are minor structural flaws in paragraphing and transitional flow. Despite these mechanical aspects of cohesion, the logical organization remains clear throughout, placing this securely at a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'tax fraud', 'traceable', and 'self employed'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including 'alot' instead of 'a lot', 'conspiracys' instead of 'conspiracies', and 'effcient' instead of 'efficient'. Additionally, phrases like 'in a time saving sense' are a bit repetitive and simplistic. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands. The vocabulary is minimally sufficient and functional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses. There are, however, several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. Examples include lowercase 'i' pronouns ('Personally, i think'), missing apostrophes in contractions or possessives ('dont', 'goverment'), and awkward sentence constructions like 'due to people being a certain age'. Punctuation is also lacking in places, such as missing commas after introductory transitional phrases. These errors occur with some frequency but rarely impede the reader's understanding, reflecting the standard descriptors for Band 5.5.

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