Agree or disagree:

Japan should become a completely cashless society

 

これは2017年度第1回英検のエッセイのテーマです。

解答例を英検1級に向けて高校生に書いてもらいました。

 

本番の試験会場ではcashlessをbarter economic system「物々交換」だと思った人もいたようです。それならcurrencylessですね。でもgood thought processです！

 

 

Technology has made your lives convenient in many ways and cashless is one of them. You can enjoy the benefit of cashless while grasping your spending habits. So I think Japan should be a completely cashless society. 

 

First, it is good for businesses because they don’t need to hire so many people. For example, when you go to a cinema you can get your ticket if you pay in advance on the Internet.  The only time you interact with the person is when you check in. This might mean that there is less need for cash delivery service. 

 

Second, cashless society would be advantageous for consumers. You can easily check how much money you spend and what purpose you use it for. This is because such data will usually be saved in the computers. In this way, you can reduce wasteful spending. 

 

However, regarding privacy, you should be careful about your personal information when you use your credit card. If you go to a drug store and pay in cash, they don’t know who you are unless you have a membership card.  Credit cards as well as membership cards enable them to survey you. They can get information about your age and where you live. That’s why cash has more privacy than cashless.

 

In conclusion, there are a lot of convenient points for becoming a cashless society, so it is important to start introducing such system while considering controversial problems. (240)