Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-23
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)
Nowadays, crime novels and Television crime series are becoming more and more popular in many countries. This essay will discuss the main reasons of the increased significance of these books and TV shows and discuss my opinion of crime fiction and television crime dramas.
To begin with, there are various reasons for increase the popularity of crime novels and dramas. The first reason is that the changed watching preference of people. The new generation people have interest to watch crime thrillers and they enjoy them. They like to take risk and watch adventure things in television. For example, many people playing game like Pubg and it involve shooting and killing of enemies. People are ready to pay for play such kind of games. As a result, they became addicted to watch crime movies and stories. Another reason is the influence of crime issues happening in society. Crimes are increasing day by day in places and some novels and television shows creating contents based on the real crimes. Therefore, individuals try that books for reading and they have a curiosity to know crime stories.
In my opinion, crime fiction and crime dramas in television are negatively affecting our society. More people are watching these shows and sometimes they do crimes. For instance, there are news about murders that done by people, who learn from movies they watch. People get steps and techniques to do crimes by watching and read the crime stories. The government should control these things.
In conclusion, crime books and TV shows are popular because of their influence and changed taste of new generation. However, I believe that this trend has negative impacts on society.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for popularity and your personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the link between playing video games like PUBG and the popularity of crime dramas is not fully explained or logically connected. The argument regarding the negative impact on society is also quite general and lacks depth or specific, credible examples. To improve, ensure that each point is supported by a clear explanation or a more relevant, realistic example. The position is clear throughout, but the supporting arguments need to be more thoroughly explored to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'For example', 'As a result', and 'In conclusion'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural. The progression of ideas within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition from video games to real-world crime is abrupt. Improving the flow between sentences and using a wider variety of linking words would enhance the overall coherence of the essay.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'crime', 'popular', and 'people'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'adventure things' or 'try that books'. While the meaning is clear, the range is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions. To improve, focus on using more precise synonyms and collocations related to the topic of media and social influence.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'reasons of the increased significance' (reasons for), 'changed watching preference' (changing viewing preferences), and 'murders that done by people' (murders committed by people). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are inconsistent. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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