Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-03

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)

As the technology is advancing, people are expecting that cash payments may not be in use; instead paying by phones or card transactions will take over. Although future is unpredictible but in my opinion this change will take place. And if this happens, a few individuals may not be happy with it as cash will be beneficial when other options do not work.

Payments made by a card or phone is very beneficial for everyone as people do not have to carry cash everywhere. A card or mobile phone is sufficient for paying irrespective of place and time. This advancement has brought a profound positive impact on society for convenient transactions. Furthermore, this change reduces chances of theft as well because stealing money in cash is easier than through online. Online payment requires pin or password before paying, which may not be easy for a theif to find out. Whereas, on the other hand cash requires nothing making it easy for a theif to steal. Due to these several benefits, there are higher chances that all the payments will take place by cards or phones.

Nevertheless, there are few potential drawbacks as well if payments are made completely online. Such as, online payments may not work all the time because of network issues or a glitch in the system. These can create a serious problem at a certain situation making cash very essential. For instance, an urgent surgery requires instant payment and if online transactions are down, cash would play a pivotal role for payment in that situation. Therefore, many people may not want to give up using cash.

In conclusion, cards and phones have made transactions very convenient but cash must also be in use. In situations where online payments do not work, cash will be very helpful.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you expect card and phone payments to become dominant, while cash may remain useful when digital systems fail. You address both parts of the question and support your view with relevant examples, including network problems and an urgent surgery. However, the reasons some people may resist giving up cash are developed less fully than the case for digital payments. The discussion focuses mainly on technical failure; you could also explain concerns such as limited access to banking or phones, privacy, or difficulty using technology. The surgery example illustrates the point, but its connection to why people generally would oppose a cashless system could be explained more explicitly. Developing these aspects would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your position, the body paragraphs present benefits and drawbacks, and the conclusion restates your view. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “Nevertheless,” and “For instance” help guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent arrangement and also shows some flexibility in linking ideas. At times, however, connections feel mechanical or unclear. For example, “Such as” begins a sentence fragment, and “Whereas, on the other hand” combines two contrasting signals unnecessarily. The conclusion also repeats the main point rather than drawing together the reasons. Use fewer, more precise transitions and connect each example directly to the claim it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “transactions,” “network issues,” “profound positive impact,” and “pivotal role.” These choices allow you to discuss convenience, security, and system failures, and the intended meaning remains clear. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural choices that limit precision, such as “cash payments may not be in use,” “a certain situation,” and “stealing money in cash is easier than through online.” Spelling errors such as “unpredictible” and “theif” also affect accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe cash as “becoming less common” and refer to “online theft” or “digital payments.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “if online transactions are down, cash would play a pivotal role” and a relative clause in “which may not be easy for a theif to find out.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Payments made by a card or phone is” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “Although future is unpredictible but” combines conjunctions incorrectly and omits an article. “Such as, online payments may not work” is also an incomplete sentence. Review agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, and avoid joining “although” and “but” in the same construction.

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