Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-28

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 this contemporary era, due to tehnology people prefer to use card payment instead of cash. It is way of easier to pay by card. However, some individuals like to use cash for the payment because cannot afford or they do not want to pay taxes. In my upcoming paragraphs, I will discuss the both views with relevant examples and conclusion.

On the one hand, When people go for shopping and buy anything they prefer to use card or phones for payments, because they think it is not only quite easy to use this method but also they do not need to keep the cash in their pockets. Morever, sometimes individual randomly go outside and suddendly make plan to visit in the malls. So they do not have enough cash to buy anything which results they cannot purchase the products or anything which they like on that moment. Hence, If they have card or phone payment option they can buy anything or anytime. For example, three years ago, I went to the shopping mall and I do not have enough cash and the dress I chose was quite expensive and that was the only day to displayed that dress. So due to little amount of cash I cannot buy that beautiful dress.

On the other hand, Some people prefer to bring cash with them while visiting outside, because they think this way they save their money to buy things in their budget. Although they like anything which is more expensive or attractive but they know they do not have enough cash. Furthermore, when people pay cash they save from taxes as well as they can bargaining with shopkeeper which assists them to save more cash.

In Conclusion, I believe that individuals should use cash for shops and this way they can save monry and also they can understand the value of money. But card or phone payments also helpful for people while visiting in expensive stores.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the prompt: you discuss why card or phone payments are convenient and why some people may prefer cash, then give your own view that cash should remain in use. The shopping anecdote supports the convenience point, while budgeting and bargaining are relevant reasons for keeping cash. However, the central question—whether cash payments will eventually disappear—is not answered clearly. Your opening describes current preferences, but does not make a prediction, and the conclusion focuses on which method people should use rather than whether cashless shops will become universal. Some points, such as avoiding taxes, are asserted without explanation. State your prediction directly and develop each reason with a clear explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The paragraphing helps the reader distinguish the convenience of electronic payments from reasons for retaining cash, and signposts such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” make the contrast easy to follow. However, progression within sentences is sometimes awkward or repetitive. For example, the shopping paragraph repeats “anything” and “buy,” while “So they do not have enough cash” does not clearly connect the sudden shopping plan to the consequence. The introduction promises “both views,” although the task asks for a prediction and reasons for cash preference. Make the paragraph focus more precise and use clearer links between cause, example, and result.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “card payment,” “cash,” “taxes,” “bargaining,” and “budget.” There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “In this contemporary era” and “relevant examples.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive, which limits precision: “It is way of easier to pay,” “visit in the malls,” and “save from taxes” do not sound natural. Several spelling errors, including “tehnology,” “Morever,” “suddendly,” and “monry,” are noticeable. Build a bank of accurate payment-related phrases and check spelling; for example, use “pay by card,” “go to the mall,” and “stay within a budget.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure (“If they have card or phone payment option they can buy…”) and a concession beginning “Although.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction occur across the response. Examples include “because cannot afford,” “I went … and I do not have,” and “the dress I chose was … and that was the only day to displayed that dress.” The final example also shifts between past and present forms, making the sequence harder to follow. Some sentences are long and joined in ways that obscure their relationships. Practise accurate past-tense narration and complete clauses, and use full stops to separate ideas when a sentence becomes difficult to control.

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