Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-18

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 5.5)

In the contemporary era , the popularity of crime novels and crime books has been surged. This essay will discuss the implementation of crime into TV dramas and novels by certain instances and experiences.

To begin with , it is true that the dramas and TV series potrays the events / incidents that occured in reality. The writers and showmakers uses the concept to raise the awareness in the society. The act of crime procure the depth of situation and necessary chance that could be done to improve the nation, in addition it give the rise of safety precaution a person should and be alerted. For instance, by reading or watching an incident a person is bound to think if I would be there so I could prepare differently and moreover be cautious in future.

Furthermore, its a blessing in disguise for criminals. They try to apply the same idea in real world settings. This is the reason the crime rate is increasing nowadays. Crime fiction and TV crime dramas are thrilling to watch as the person actively imagine oneself into the act. Crime fiction is a blend of intellectual puzzle and profound exploration of the crime.

In conclusion , crime fiction and TV crime dramas are interesting to watch to analyze and interpret data and applies factual knowledge. This is the reason that most of the crime series are releasing as the public has more interest in watching the factual concept rather than romantic or action movies. They contend that those have same concept and boring.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for popularity and personal opinion. However, the development is inconsistent. The explanation for popularity is somewhat superficial, and the argument regarding 'criminals applying the same idea' is not well-supported or logical. The personal opinion is present but lacks depth, as the conclusion focuses more on general public interest than a clear, personal stance. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples and ensure that your arguments are logically sound and fully explored rather than just stated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between the benefits of awareness and the claim that these shows encourage criminals is abrupt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with' and 'Furthermore', but they are sometimes used mechanically or with slight inaccuracy. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'those' refers back to 'romantic or action movies' in a confusing way. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'has been surged' (should be 'has surged'), 'potrays' (spelling error), and 'procure the depth of situation'. The phrase 'showmakers' is not standard English. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'factual concept' and 'intellectual puzzle', the overall range is limited. To improve, focus on learning collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form and context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the dramas and TV series potrays' (subject-verb agreement), 'the crime rate is increasing nowadays' (tense usage), and 'if I would be there so I could prepare' (conditional structure error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.