Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-05

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 5.0)

Yeah for sure, I think this is happening right now and in near future it is quite obvious that people are'nt going to carrying where ever they go. For example in my daily life don't even I carry cash more than like 100 pounds, and there is a reason behind it the first and main reason the tension of getting out of cash.So there was a time when we used to think that we have to take enough cash with us so that it might not end before purchasing all the goods needed but now I don't to worry about it as I havee a satisfaction in my mind ther is no way I could run out of cash, for instance let us think that I have completely ran out of cash now what should I do but wait a second I have my credit or debit whatever card it is with me, so now I could make payment through it. And there are alot of examples in our daily life where we have felt that I'm going to run out of cash but we're in peace because we know that we have our baking cards along us, so we don't to worry about it. But as it is said there are two faces of each coin, now the downsides there are some places where we can't use our cards there we have to use cash such places are like giving money to a homeless person or paying for parking. So as an example today this hapens with that I liked a sunglasses and wanted to buy them so now comes the payment time here I'm standing with my card in my hand on the side of road but the shopkeeper asks for cash and didn'nt had enough cash and out of that cash I had to pay for the parking as well here I'm struck then I gave him all my cash and transfered the remaining funds via bank. So it was a quite embarrassing moment when the person asks you for cash and you don't have. And it is also inconvenient for people who carry cash with them and the cashier says we don't accept it anymore and also for those people who don't have bank accounts, so in this situation they have to deal in only cash.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your response addresses both parts of the task, discussing whether a cashless future will happen and exploring why some people might not be happy to give up cash. You express a clear position right from the start, stating that this shift is already occurring. However, your ideas are somewhat unevenly developed. While you give a personal example about carrying less cash and encountering a situation where cash was still needed, some of your arguments remain a bit repetitive and lack extension. For instance, mentioning people without bank accounts is a relevant point, but it is introduced only briefly at the very end without much elaboration. To reach a higher level, you should ensure all your main ideas are fully extended with broader societal examples rather than relying primarily on a single personal anecdote.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

Your writing shows an attempt to organise ideas, but the overall progression is disrupted by structural weaknesses. The entire response is written as one single, long paragraph without any logical paragraph breaks to separate your introduction, your arguments about why cash is fading, and the counter-arguments about why people might be unhappy. Additionally, cohesive devices are handled inadequately; you tend to string clauses together using commas and conversational connectors like 'so', 'and', or 'but' rather than using clear, structured signposts. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it occasionally difficult for the reader to follow the exact logical flow of your thoughts. To improve, you need to divide your text into distinct paragraphs and use a wider variety of appropriate cohesive ties.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to communicate your thoughts about digital payments and cash, attempting some less common words and phrases like 'inconvenient' and 'embarrassing moment'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'are'nt', 'havee', 'ther', 'baking', 'hapens', 'did'nn't', 'struck', and 'transfered'. Word choices are occasionally informal or imprecise, reflecting a conversational tone rather than a formal academic or general training essay style. These errors do not completely block communication, but they restrict your score because they affect precision and spelling control. To achieve a higher band, you need to use a more precise range of vocabulary with accurate spelling and suitable formal style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your writing displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on long, run-on sentences joined by conjunctions instead of well-controlled complex structures. While you make some attempts at complex sentences, they are often faulty, featuring frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, tense consistency, and punctuation. For example, clauses run together without proper terminal punctuation, and sentence boundaries become blurred, as seen in expressions like 'the first and main reason the tension of getting out of cash.So there was a time...'. Punctuation control is weak, and these frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve your grammar score, you should focus on breaking your thoughts into shorter, distinct sentences, ensuring accurate verb agreement, and mastering punctuation rules for complex sentences.

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