Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 5.5)

In future, some might think people wont be able to use cash to by things. Online payment and cards will be accepted. This essay will discuss the possibility of this happening and giving opinion on whether some people will be upset over giving up cash entierly.

First reason appears to be, there are benefits of using cards and online payments like google pay and UPI. we can see many people dont have access cash and these online facitlity has made peoples life easy. for example, Due to online transactions theft has. decline. people can travel freely without worrying someone would steel their cash. Apart from this We can see barcods for UPI and other online transactions are available from street vendors to big malls. So in future there is a chance cash might be completely erased and everyone will prefer online payment.

Second reason for the view states that, some people that have a huge buisness might not be happy with this cahnge. They want cash transactions to be valid as they dont want to pay complete tax to the government. for instance; while huge money makers like business man or builders need to keep their profit safe from the government eye. They cant show all their profits in bank for them it will be huge loss as with this online payment they cannot cut their tax. Moreover they need to make huge payments which might not be possible by online at one click. They need to wait for couple days to get their transcition. This wouldnot be the case if it was done by cash. So some people might be upset overit.

In conclusion, I believe eventhough some might not feel happy about giving up cash. But it will make peoples life easy and convinent. We can already see the shift in use of on line payment more. So in future people might prefer card or phone payment instead of cash.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the prompt: you argue that cash may eventually disappear and explain why some people could resist that change. Your examples of UPI use by street vendors and concerns about business profits make the response relevant, and your conclusion restates your view. However, the prediction is not fully developed: the claim that online payments will make life easier does not explain whether cash is likely to vanish entirely or what might prevent that. The reasons for opposition focus mainly on business owners avoiding tax and making large payments; these points are asserted rather than explored, and they represent only some people’s concerns. Developing broader reasons, such as privacy, access to banking, or unreliable technology, would make the response more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The paragraphs broadly follow the task’s two questions, and signposts such as “First reason,” “Second reason,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. However, these transitions can feel mechanical, and some links between ideas are unclear. For example, the move from reduced theft to the availability of UPI barcodes supports cashless payments, but the connection to the prediction that cash will be “completely erased” needs further explanation. References such as “this change” and “this online payment” are not always precise. Use more natural transitions and make the relationship between each example and its main point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “online transactions,” “street vendors,” “tax,” and “profit,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “giving up cash entirely.” However, the range and control are limited by repeated general wording and several inaccurate or misspelled choices, including “facitlity,” “barcods,” “transcition,” and “steel” where “steal” is intended. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “keep their profit safe from the government eye” and “cut their tax.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause. Build a more precise set of topic-related collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional idea in “if it was done by cash” and a relative clause in “people that have a huge business.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but control is uneven. Some sentences contain faulty structures, such as “This essay will discuss the possibility of this happening and giving opinion,” while “I believe eventhough some might not feel happy… But it will…” creates an incomplete or awkwardly joined construction. There are also issues with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “there are benefits” followed by “we can see” without consistent sentence capitalization. Practise forming complete clauses and joining contrast and cause-effect ideas accurately, while checking punctuation and agreement.

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.