Nowadays Plastic Money Replacements Such as Credit and Debit Cards are Extremely Popular – IELTS Writing Task 2

Nowadays plastic money replacements such as credit and debit cards are extremely popular, even more than banknotes and coins. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this.

Outline

Essay Type

Advantage/ Disadvantage Essay

Introduction

Sentence 1: Introduce the topic.

Sentence 2: Analyse the advantages and disadvantages in the following portion.

Body Paragraphs

Paragraph 1 – Positive effects of shift to plastic money

Paragraph 2 – Negative effects of shift to plastic money

Conclusion

Summarize the points and mention the opinion.

Sample Essay

Credit and debit cards are now extremely popular replacements for cash, outpacing the usage of banknotes and coins. This essay examines both the positive and negative effects of the shift.

Some people believe that using electronic cash is more practical, considering that this method has many advantages. Inevitably, either a credit card or debit card permits consumers to make purchases whenever or wherever they want, regardless of whether or not their wallet is stuffed with cash. Moreover, it is easy for people to carry around in their wallets and money is not at risk of being stolen or lost. Additionally, online banking is much easier than traditional banking. The availability of credit cards makes it easy to make payments, transfer funds, and do shopping online, which supports the growth of e-commerce. Furthermore, paper cash can cause health concerns as it can absorb bacteria from the environment and spread illnesses when some people get their hands on it. Therefore, in this manner, it is both convenient and safe to use plastic money.

However, these plastic cards do have some drawbacks. Fraud is the first concern. Essentially, in the case of a stolen debit or credit card, a thief or hacker can receive information about the card and then clone the bank cards using the stolen data, in turn causing them significant financial loss. As payment cards become increasingly popular, international corporations and governments now have a compelling opportunity to collect your personal details. Additionally, electronic cash transactions may be delayed or cancelled at any minute for an array of reasons, such as internet or system failure. During such times, paper money becomes the only acceptable form of currency.

In conclusion, digital credit and debit cards have merits and shortcomings, just like most other technologies. These cards are of great help, but people should understand that it is not always the case; we need to be careful when using them.

Vocabulary

• Outpacing

Meaning: go, rise, or improve faster than.

Eg: These hovercraft can easily outpace most boats

•  Inevitably

Meaning: anything certain to happen and cannot be prevented or avoided.

Eg: No matter how much you try, death is inevitable.

• E-commerce

Meaning: Buying and selling things online.

Eg: Nowadays, e-commerce has become a major competitor for traditional retailers.

•  Concerns

Meaning: to affect or involve somebody/something

Eg: The main concern is the huge cost involved in this project.

• Convenient

Meaning: suitable or practical for a particular purpose; not causing difficulty

Eg: This area is convenient for the restaurant.

•  Hacker

Meaning: a person who uses a computer to look at and/or change information on another computer without permission

Eg: Hackers may call a company employee and reach their voice mail.

• Clone

Meaning: an exact copy of someone or something

Eg: She’s an exact clone of her sister.

• Compelling

Meaning: that forces or persuades you to do or to believe something

Eg: Her speech was compelling.

• Array

Meaning: a large collection of things especially one that is impressive and is seen by other people

Eg: The delicious smell came from the array of food at the buffet.

• Shortcomings

Meaning: a fault or weakness

Eg: Your idea seems nice, but it still has many shortcomings.

More Writing Task 2 Essay Topics

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• Discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning 
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• The Idea of Having a Single Career is Becoming An Old Fashioned One