Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 6.5)

In the upcoming years, cash may disappear from the many shops, shopping malls and people would have to pay through digital banking and using their mobile phones. I believe that one day, it will happen in the future but takes some time to happen, and I understand why many people would be unhappy about it.

There are many good reasons to think about cashless society. People do not have to carry cash with them everywhere. As a result, they may become more relax and less worried about robbery. Digital payments are increasingly become popular in many nations. For instance, India has introduce many cashless apps, such as Google pay, Pal Pay and Paytam. These apps are very helpful for people. To illustrate this, when people go for groceries to street shopping, they can use this app for payments. Cards and phones are very hygienic and faster, and they hold the records of all transcations. As younger generations growing up with smartphones, robots and advance technologies, demand for cash will keep falling, and governments have to encourage people to use digital payments.

However, many people may be stubborn to give up on cash for several reasons. Firstly, majority elder people are not comfortable and using modern technology. They may find apps to be very difficult to use because these apps have many steps and procedures to follow before making any final digital payments. For example, my grandmother finds apps, like Google pay and Bharat pay difficult to use because of security and too many steps to follow. As a result, she still prefers to pay with notes. Secondly, cash gives people privacy, since digital payments leave a record of every payment. Finally, people do not have to worry about the internet and many people find easier to control their spending with cash, while cards make it too easy to overspend.

All in all, although using cash provides many advantages, such as privacy and better control over spending, I believe that a cashless society is possible in the future because of the growing use of digital paymets and speed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear position: you expect cash to disappear eventually, while explaining why some people would resist. The reasons are relevant and supported with examples, particularly your grandmother’s difficulty using payment apps and the points about privacy and spending control. Your discussion of the future trend is also supported by the growth of digital payments and younger people’s familiarity with technology. To develop the response further, explain more precisely why cashless payments are likely to become unavoidable, rather than relying mainly on their convenience and popularity. Some claims, such as governments having to encourage digital payments, are introduced but not fully explained. Overall, the response covers the task with clear, relevant support, though a few ideas remain general or could be extended.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, the second paragraph explains the move towards cashless payments, the third presents objections, and the conclusion restates your position. Linking phrases such as “As a result,” “For instance,” “However,” and “Finally” help readers follow the progression. The contrast between the benefits of digital payments and the concerns about giving up cash is easy to understand. To make the organisation more polished, ensure each example is connected explicitly to the point it supports; the street-shopping example, for instance, could be tied more directly to convenience. Some transitions, including “To illustrate this,” feel slightly mechanical, and the conclusion repeats earlier points rather than drawing them together. Overall, progression is clear, with some room for more flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “cashless society,” “digital payments,” “privacy,” “security,” and “overspend.” These terms allow you to discuss both practical benefits and reasons for resistance. You also attempt more specific expressions such as “records of all transactions,” although spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “transcations” and “digital paymets” are misspelled, while “more relax” and “stubborn to give up” are not natural choices in context. Some wording is repetitive, particularly the repeated references to apps and digital payments. Aim to check spelling carefully and learn common collocations as complete phrases. More precise vocabulary would make your ideas sound more natural without requiring unnecessarily complex words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because,” “since,” and “while.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the paragraph about older people combines a reason, an example, and a result. However, some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Digital payments are increasingly become popular” has an incorrect verb form, and “As younger generations growing up” is missing a finite verb. There are also issues with agreement and articles in “majority elder people,” and the opening sentence joins ideas awkwardly. Review verb forms, sentence boundaries, and article use, then proofread for small errors such as the extra space in “prefers to pay.” Greater accuracy across these structures would strengthen the response.

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.