Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the popularity of crime based fiction including movies and books in some nations. While, there are many reasons for this effect on increased demand; in my viewpoint, these TV shows and novels educate individuals and create awareness. The causes of this trend and my opinion would be further elaborated in the following paragraphs.

One of the main reasons why crime and suspense genre is peoples favorite is due to the thrill it provides to the viewers. These stories create a hook where individuals keep wondering what would happen next either while watching the show or reading novels. The human psychology is to find out the whole story and who is the culprit behind all the situation taken place. These storylines are also well written to create an emotional connection with the audience. For instance, there are many documentaries made from the past events occurred. Narcos is a great example of this as its a TV show based on a drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar and how he lived his life in Colombia through violence and crime. People love to watch these kind of stories because they are fascinated by the life of lead character.

I believe that crime fiction and novels are a great source of entertainment as long as persons understand that these stories are just for fun and to gain knowledge and not to implement the ideology in real life. Moreover, there should be some level of control on the consumers as these type of stories could create adverse effects on youth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the popularity of crime fiction and your personal opinion. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While you provide a clear reason for the popularity (the 'thrill' and 'human psychology'), the second part of the prompt—your opinion—is underdeveloped. You mention that these stories are for entertainment and suggest a need for 'control' on consumers, but you do not fully explain why you hold this view or provide a balanced perspective. To reach a higher band, ensure that your personal opinion is as thoroughly supported with examples or reasoning as the first part of the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and body. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'For instance' to link ideas. However, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is slightly abrupt. Additionally, some sentences feel a bit disjointed, such as 'The human psychology is to find out the whole story'. Improving the flow between sentences by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'culprit', 'cartel', and 'adverse effects'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, you use 'crime based fiction' (should be hyphenated) and 'peoples favorite' (missing apostrophe). You also use 'these type of stories' (should be 'these types') and 'from the past events occurred' (awkward phrasing). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your word forms are grammatically correct in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'While, there are many reasons' (incorrect comma usage), 'its a TV show' (should be 'it's'), and 'these kind of stories' (should be 'these kinds'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more error-free sentences and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and pluralization.

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

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