Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-07
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In many countries today, crime novels and TV crime dramas are becoming more and more popular. Why do you think these books and TV shows are popular? What is your opinion of crime fiction and TV crime dramas?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 6.5)
Crime novels and TV crime dramas have experienced a significant growth in its popularity recently. Due to interesting stories and intense drama, people easily get addicted to these kind of medias for entertainment. This essay will discuss why this trend has become extremely popular in many countries.
First and foremost, the crime stories often contain suspense, action, and fighting. The latest generations love to watch content, which includes murder mystery and fictional legal drama. Hence, people generally lose track of the time while watching or reading it. For example, a popular TV series called The Suits, have gained a considerable popularity because of its unique legal drama stories, where they provide ideal solutions to their clients in high pressure corporate environment. Therefore, exciting crime story building and tension keep the interest alive and people have started investing more of their leisure time in exploring more novels and shows that are based on crime.
I believe that personal preference plays a major role in selecting different genre of stories. Many people find romantic movies interesting, whereas many individuals get attracted to sci-fi stories, as their interest relies on the science. In my opinion, these crime fiction and dramas definitely deserve an appreciation, as they help to keep audience engaged through out the period.
However, these stories also create a negative impact on younger generations as it provokes sensible topics such as violating the law, wrongdoing and committing a crime. Children may get influenced to break the law by getting involved with those stories. As a result, crime rates may not experience a decline in the coming time.
In conclusion, although this trend may have certain disadvantages, I believe that detective novels and mystery series provide a major entertainment, and they totally deserve the fam they are getting.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the popularity of crime fiction and the writer's personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the appeal of suspense and the potential negative influence on youth. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The example of 'The Suits' is slightly off-target, as it is a legal drama rather than a traditional crime/detective show, which weakens the argument. While the position is clear throughout, the discussion could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band, particularly by providing more nuanced reasons for the genre's enduring global appeal beyond just 'suspense'.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'Therefore', and 'However' are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the use of 'those stories' in the fourth paragraph, which could be more clearly linked to the preceding context. Overall, the structure is sound and supports the flow of information well.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common collocations like 'high pressure corporate environment' and 'sensible topics'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'these kind of medias' (should be 'this kind of media') and 'deserve the fam' (a spelling error for 'fame'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band. Expanding the range of topic-specific vocabulary related to literature and media would improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'have experienced a significant growth in its popularity' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('its' should be 'their' to refer to 'novels and dramas'). There are also minor punctuation errors, such as the unnecessary comma after 'However'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. More consistent control over complex structures and subject-verb agreement is needed.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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