Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)
Nowadays, In various countries crime novels and TV crime shows are becoming very popular. In this essay I would like to discuss my views and opinions about these crime fictions and stories.
To begin with, People these days always seek for something interesting and fascinating and these crime shows and novels plays a best role in fulfilling their choices of watching shows or reading books. Humans are naturally drawn to mysteries and crime narratives allows viewers and readers to mentally participate in solving puzzles. The tension built around uncovering motives, identifying suspects stimulates critical thinking and emotional engagement.
Another factor behind this popularity is their reflection of real world issues. Many crime stories explore themes such as corruption, inequality and ethical dilemmas. By presenting these issues through writers and shows encourage audience to think more deeply about society. For example, crime series often highlight the challenges faced by law enforcement or the consequences of poor social conditions making the stories both entertaining and thought-provoking.
From my perspective, crime fictions and television dramas are a positive from of storytelling. They combine entertainment with awareness and justice. However, it is important that such content does not glorify violence excessively, especially for the younger audience. Also, not all the people are watching for entertainment some might misuse these stunts or techniques in their daily life as well.
In conclusion, crime novels and TV dramas are popular because they engage human curiosity and provide suspense. I believe that they are beneficial as long as viewers approach them with maturity and awareness.
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 psychological appeal of puzzles and the reflection of societal issues. However, the development is somewhat brief. For instance, while you mention that crime stories highlight 'corruption' and 'inequality', these points could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The position is clear throughout, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more detailed explanation of the 'why' behind your arguments.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as the psychological appeal in the second paragraph and societal reflection in the third. Cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Another factor', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the link between the second and third paragraphs could be strengthened to create a more cohesive argument. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and supports the progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fascinating', 'critical thinking', 'ethical dilemmas', and 'thought-provoking'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'positive from of storytelling' (should be 'form') and 'crime narratives allows' (subject-verb agreement error). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, there is limited use of less common or idiomatic expressions that would elevate the response to a higher band. Focusing on more precise collocations and ensuring correct word forms will help improve your score in this area.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'crime shows and novels plays a best role' contains a subject-verb agreement error and an awkward collocation ('plays a best role' should be 'play a significant role'). Additionally, 'not all the people are watching for entertainment' is slightly unnatural. There are also punctuation issues, such as the missing comma after 'Nowadays' and 'In conclusion'. Increasing the variety of complex structures while reducing these frequent minor errors will help you achieve a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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