Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-14

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)

The concept of online payment has been becoming a prevalent practice among people. It is well with the realm of possiblity that cash may be deminished in the decades to come and all transactions may be done using phones and internet. I believe that it will certainely happen due to a myraid of advantages of online payments.

One of the primary reasons to abondon cash, is illicit financial activities. Cash money is a main source of crimes. Most of the criminals and offenders prefer to be paid in cash, owing to conceal their activities as well as the employers. Since all online transactions have been recorded and documented, they avoid the online payments. To prevent these illegal activties, every government now encourage people to shift to online payments.

Some people most likely the criminals would be really disappointed to give up using cash because they can not procede with their crimes using online transactions. If they try to do so, they will be immediately apprehended.

Apart from criminals, some elderly people may be dissatisfied to shift to online payments as they don't have enough knowledge about the new technology and they may struggle to use new payment system. For instance, my grand-parents has been paying in cash since the beginning, so it is comprehensible it won't be easy for them to use new payment system. Therefore, elderly people easily scummb to cyber frauds and often get scammed realtively to the new generation.

To conclude, even though giving up the cash from the market may have some problems and inconvinence, it will help to counter illegal financial activities as well as to deter serious crimes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question: you predict that cash will eventually be replaced and explain why criminals and some older people may resist this change. Your position is clear, and the examples about recorded transactions and your grandparents are relevant. However, the prediction is asserted rather than fully explained: you could show how wider access to phones, digital infrastructure, or changing shopping habits might make cashless payment universal. The discussion of opposition is also uneven. The point about older people’s unfamiliarity with technology is useful, but the claim that they are especially vulnerable to fraud needs clearer explanation, and the criminal perspective is brief. Develop these ideas with specific consequences or examples to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from your prediction to reasons for cashless payments, then to groups who may object, and finally to a conclusion. Paragraphs generally have a distinct purpose, and signposts such as “One of the primary reasons,” “Apart from criminals,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the argument. Some connections are less smooth or precise. For example, the paragraph about criminals shifts from explaining why cash may be abandoned to explaining why criminals would object, without clearly distinguishing these two points. The conclusion also repeats the crime-prevention argument rather than drawing together both sides. Use clearer links between claims and explanations, and make references such as “they” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “illicit financial activities,” “transactions,” “apprehended,” and “cyber frauds.” These choices show an effort to discuss the issue beyond basic terms, although some are inaccurate or unnatural in context. For instance, “cash money is a main source of crimes” overstates the point, while “scummb to cyber frauds” does not express the intended idea clearly. There are also several spelling errors, including “possiblity,” “deminished,” “abondon,” and “inconvinence,” which reduce the accuracy of your vocabulary. Aim for precise, natural collocations and proofread spelling; this will make your ideas clearer and your less common vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “since,” “because,” and “even though,” and your meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “every government now encourage” needs subject–verb agreement, and “my grand-parents has been paying” has an incorrect verb form and agreement. The opening phrase “has been becoming” is also an awkward tense construction, while “it is comprehensible it won't be easy” needs a linking word such as “that.” Review agreement and clause patterns, and check that each sentence has a clear, complete structure. More accurate control of these forms would strengthen the range you are already attempting.

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