Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-04

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)

Nowadays, technology is changing day by day as changes in taking payments through debits or credits instead of paying cash to buy goods will completely disappear in future. I believe this changes happen gradually, although some people would not comfortable with this.

To begin with, i think cash payments are less common in future because digital payments and more eassier and time saving. There is less chances of theif cash beacuse all money is safly saved into accounts. Moreover, this is more helpfull to pay for groceries or shoping. In this world, EMIs are common on everythings like car, phone payments or bills are fixed dates and automatic payments are apllied on accounts. Instead of giving cash to some more easier to help people to transfer money in emergency and also saves time for travelling.

On the other hand, people are may not happy with this because in india some of families are not comfortable to moderane technology. They have concerne about online frauds and digitale payments about baking information. Futhermore, this technolghy is based on internet connection while, loose connection can create issue while payments.

In conclusion, I believe society is more depends on cashless payments because this is convenience and time saving but cash payments should also should b e acceptable for other, so this can helps in both perspective to feel comfortable to other peoples.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you predict that cash use will decline as digital payments become more convenient, and you explain why some people may resist, especially because of online fraud and unreliable internet access. Your position is present, but it is not fully consistent: you say cash may “completely disappear,” then conclude that it should remain acceptable. The reasons are relevant, though several are only briefly stated; for example, the point about families in India is not supported with a specific explanation or example. The response is also 22 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to develop your ideas. Clarify whether cash will disappear or simply become less common, then extend each main reason with an example or consequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph explaining the move towards digital payments, a paragraph on objections, and a conclusion. The signposts “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow this structure, and the two main sides of the question are separated effectively. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some control of progression. However, links within paragraphs are less successful: several ideas are crowded together, and the sentence beginning “Instead of giving cash” is difficult to connect to the preceding point. The conclusion also repeats convenience and time-saving without resolving the earlier claim that cash will disappear. Use clearer links between each reason and its explanation, and make the final position consistent with the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “digital payments,” “online frauds,” “internet connection,” and “automatic payments.” These terms make your main points understandable, and you attempt some topic-specific language such as “EMIs.” However, the range is limited and errors in spelling, word form, and collocation are noticeable, sometimes making the reader work to understand the intended meaning. Examples include “more eassier,” “safly saved,” “baking information,” and “moderane technology.” Some expressions, such as “payments through debits or credits,” are also imprecise for the idea you want to express. Build accuracy by learning common payment-related collocations and checking spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “although” and a reason introduced by “because.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “I believe this changes happen gradually” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “some people would not comfortable” is missing a verb. The sentence beginning “In this world, EMIs are common” also contains unclear clause structure, and the conclusion has several problems with verb forms and sentence construction. Practise building accurate basic sentences first, then combine them using one clear subordinate clause at a time. Check agreement, articles, and complete verb phrases during proofreading.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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