Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-20

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 7.0)

In recent years, crime novels and TV dramas have become extremely popular in many countries. I believe this is because they are exciting, mentally stimulating, and often reflect real-life concerns. In my opinion, crime fiction can be both entertaining and thought-provoking when it is well written. One major reason for popularity of crime stories is that they create suspense. Readers and viewers are naturally drawn to mysteries because they want to know what happen next and how crime will be solved. Unlike some other types of stories, crime fiction keeps people guessing until the very end. For example, television series such as sherlock and mindhunter have attracted large audience because they combine clever plots with unexpected twists.

Another reason is that crime novels and dramas often engage the audience's mind. People enjoy trying to solve the mystery before detective does, which makes the experience interactive. In addition, this stories usually contain complex characters and morally dilemmas, which makes them more interesting than simple action-based entertainment. They also often explore social issues, such as corruption, justice, or family conflict, which gives them greater depth.

In my viewpoint, crime fiction and Tv crime dramas are generally a positive form of entertainment. They can be enjoyable and intellectually stimulating, and they often encourage people to think carefully about human behaviour and society. However, I do think that some crime shows exaggerate violence or present unrealistic scenes, which can be less beneficial. For this reason, the quality of the writing and the message of the story matter a great deal.

In conclusion, crime novels and TV crime dramas are popular because they are suspectful, engaging , and intellectually rewarding. I believe they are a valuable genre, especially when they are realistic and well crafted.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing clear reasons for the popularity of crime fiction and expressing a personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, such as the mention of 'suspense' and 'intellectual stimulation'. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific, nuanced examples or explore the 'why' behind the popularity with greater depth, perhaps by discussing the psychological appeal of 'justice' or 'order' in a chaotic world. Overall, the task is fully addressed with a clear, logical structure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the reasons for popularity from the personal opinion. Cohesive devices such as 'Another reason', 'In addition', and 'For this reason' are used appropriately to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as 'this stories' (should be 'these stories') and some slightly mechanical transitions. The progression of ideas is clear, and the overall structure supports the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'mentally stimulating', 'thought-provoking', and 'morally dilemmas' (though grammatically incorrect) show an attempt to use more sophisticated language. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'suspectful' (which is not a standard word; 'suspenseful' would be correct) and 'before detective does' (missing an article). Despite these, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication of complex ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the majority of sentences are clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'what happen next' (should be 'happens'), 'this stories' (should be 'these stories'), and 'before detective does' (should be 'before the detective does'). Punctuation is generally accurate, though there is an unnecessary space before the comma in 'engaging ,'. The errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring subject-verb agreement would improve the score.

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