Sample response & feedback

Paying for Goods Using Mobile Phone Apps

Question

In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone (cellphone) apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Annotated response

11 correction notes

Showing 11 correction notes.

In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone apps is becoming increasingly common. While there are certainly some advantages to this development, I believe that the disadvantages outweigh them.

One advantage of paying with mobile phone apps is convenience. the need to carry cash or cards, which can be lost or stolen. Mobile payment apps can offer a faster and easier checkout experience as well. For example, by scanning a QR code or tapping an NFC-enabled terminal, the payment can be made quickly.

However, the disadvantages are more significant. Firstly, security is a major concern. While mobile payment apps have security features in place, such as encryption and two-factor authentication, they are not foolproof. Hackers can still find ways to exploit vulnerabilities and steal personal and financial information. Moreover, not everyone has access to mobile payment technology, particularly in developing countries or among older generations. This creates an inequitable situation where those without mobile payment capabilities are unable to participate fully in the economy. For example, in many rural areas of developing countries, people still rely on cash for transactions because they may not have access to smartphones or the internet. might also struggle to use such technology, limiting their ability to make purchases online or in places that only accept mobile payments. This digital divide can exclude certain groups from the benefits of modern economic activities.

In conclusion, while there are some advantages to paying with mobile phone apps, such as convenience and ease of use, the disadvantages, such as security concerns, lack of accessibility for some populations, and the possibility of system failures, are too significant to ignore. Therefore, I believe that this development has more disadvantages than advantages.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response presents a clear, consistent position and supports its security and access concerns with relevant explanations and examples. The convenience argument is relevant, although its comparison with cash could be clearer. The main limitations are the lack of an explicit explanation of why the harms outweigh the benefits and the introduction of system failures only in the conclusion.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

TR Task Response

7.0

The response addresses the question directly with a clear position, relevant reasons and examples, though the advantage side is somewhat briefly developed and the conclusion introduces an unsupported point about system failures.

CC Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Ideas are logically organised with clear paragraphing and a range of cohesive devices used naturally, despite slightly uneven paragraph balance.

LR Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is sufficiently flexible and precise, with natural use of topic-related terms such as encryption, digital divide, and inequitable.

GRA Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

Complex structures are generally well controlled, including relative clauses and passive constructions. Naming the customer in the QR-code example would make the agent of scanning and tapping more explicit.