Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-24
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 many countries, crime novels and TV crime dramas are becoming more popular. There are several reasons for this trend. In my opinion, these books and TV shows can be interesting and entertaining, but people should not spend too much time watching them.
One reason for their popularity is that they are exciting. People enjoy stories with mystery, danger and unexpected events. They often want to know who are committed the crime and what will happen at the end. This makes them want to continue reading or watching. Another reason is that crime stories make people think. Viewers can try to find clues and solve the mystery before the police or the main character.
Crime dramas are also popular they can show real life problems. They may help people understand how police officers investigate crimes and how criminals are caught. For example, a TV series may show a detective collecting clues and speaking to different people to find the truth.
Personally, I think crime fiction and TV crime dramas are good forms of entertainment. I like stories that have a strong mystery and interesting ending. However, I do not think people should watch voilent crime shows all the time because some programmes can be disturbing, especially for young viewers.
Overall, crime novels and TV dramas are popular because they are exciting, mysterious and people curious. I beleive they are enjoyable when watched or read in a balanced way.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| 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: reasons for popularity and personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited, and the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement (238 words). While the position is clear, the arguments regarding why these shows are popular—such as 'they are exciting' or 'make people think'—are somewhat superficial and lack depth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or deeper analysis. The under-length penalty is applied here as the response does not meet the minimum word count requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic progression of ideas, and cohesive devices like 'One reason', 'Another reason', and 'Personally' are used to link sentences. However, the transition between some ideas is a bit mechanical, and the flow could be improved with more sophisticated linking phrases. For instance, the sentence 'Crime dramas are also popular they can show real life problems' lacks a conjunction or punctuation to connect the two clauses properly, which disrupts the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use common terms like 'interesting', 'exciting', and 'popular' repeatedly. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'detective', 'investigate', and 'criminals', but the range is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more precise or academic collocations. Additionally, there are minor errors such as 'voilent' (spelling) and 'people curious' (grammatical structure), which slightly detract from the overall lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors. For example, 'who are committed the crime' is incorrect (should be 'who committed the crime'), and 'popular they can show' is a run-on sentence. There are also minor errors in word forms and articles. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy is recommended.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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