Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-04

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 recent years, crime novels and TV crime dramas have become the subject of popularity. There are several reasons why it's a more debatable topic. In my opinion, I would like to explain this partially because crime has pros and cons.

Here I am explaining the advantages of crime novels and crime dramas. There are many benefits of watching crime dramas, such as high entertainment value and curiosity. Moreover, I am explaining that watching these kinds of shows creates a high level of energy in a person's body. It starts working faster, like finding clues and solving puzzles in crime dramas. A person's brain starts working more efficiently. It's a good thing that a person learns many real-life things from crime novels and also becomes aware of these dangers for the future.

However, the increased anxiety is a common disadvantage. When people watch crime shows more than they need its harmful. People learn things from shows and try to implement them in their real life, which is harmful for everyone. For example, in 2024, when I came to Canada, my classmate was watching the crime petrol, which is a Hindi show, and after some time he became addicted to watching these shows. One day, he saw his girlfriend with another boy, and he tried to kill her with a knife. He learned all these techniques from Crime Petrol, which is most dangerous for everyone.

To conclude, crime novels and TV crime dramas are part of entertainment, as well as it is harmful because of the implementation of some techniques that people learn from these shows.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, but the development is uneven. While you identify reasons for popularity (entertainment, mental stimulation), the analysis is somewhat superficial. The personal opinion is present but lacks depth. The example provided regarding a classmate is quite specific and dramatic, which helps illustrate your point, but the connection back to the general popularity of the genre could be stronger. To improve, ensure that your arguments are fully extended and that your position is clearly maintained throughout the essay rather than just stated in the introduction.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'Moreover', 'However', 'To conclude'). The progression of ideas within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the transition between the benefits of mental stimulation and the dangers of real-life implementation. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'When people watch crime shows more than they need its harmful', where the pronoun usage is imprecise. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'good thing', 'high level of energy', and 'real-life things'. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'implement', it is used in a slightly unnatural context. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'subject of popularity' instead of 'increasingly popular'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and less common vocabulary related to the topic of media and psychology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('the crime petrol'), subject-verb agreement issues ('shows more than they need its harmful'), and awkward phrasing ('I am explaining that...'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly the use of articles, prepositions, and verb tenses, before attempting more complex structures.

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

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