Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-17
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 5.0)
Lately crime novels and TV crime dramas are getting centre of attention in many countries mainly because the access to digital world. We have drastically seen the shift in cinema moving from theatres to OTT platforms and how audience has adopted binge watching from comfort of their home.
With fast paced tedious lifestyle people are looking to unwind themselves with something light and imaginative to watch and read. In my opinion, most people enjoy reading and watching crime dramas; it changes the perspective of handling the real life challenges. Watching crime fiction TV allows audience to enjoy the time and create a light watching experience.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response attempts to address both parts of the prompt regarding the popularity of crime fiction and the author's opinion. However, due to the severe under-length issue of only 105 words against the 250-word minimum, the ideas are severely underdeveloped. For example, while the writer mentions digital access and lifestyle factors as reasons for popularity, these points lack necessary elaboration, specific examples, and extension. The author's opinion that crime dramas 'change the perspective of handling the real life challenges' is also stated without any supporting evidence or deep exploration. Consequently, Task Achievement is heavily penalised for the under-length requirement and limited development, falling into the lower band categories.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text shows a basic logical sequence, moving from reasons for popularity to personal opinion in two brief paragraphs. However, the paragraphing is insufficient for an essay of this type, and cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical or missing. For instance, the transition 'With fast paced tedious lifestyle people are looking to unwind' lacks proper punctuation and transitional phrasing. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous subject in 'watching crime fiction TV allows audience to enjoy the time'. While overall organization is somewhat discernible, the lack of sufficient length and structured progression restricts the score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for basic communication, but it lacks the range and precision expected for higher bands. The student attempts some less common phrases like 'getting centre of attention', 'drastically seen the shift', and 'binge watching', but these contain collocation errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'getting centre of attention' instead of 'gaining the centre of attention' or 'becoming the centre of attention'. Spelling is generally correct, but word choice lacks sophistication and flexibility. Repetitive patterns restrict the lexical score to a modest level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'We have drastically seen the shift in cinema moving from theatres to OTT platforms and how audience has adopted binge watching from comfort of their home.' However, there are notable grammatical errors, including missing articles ('from comfort of their home' instead of 'from the comfort of their home') and prepositions ('access to digital world' instead of 'access to the digital world'). Punctuation errors are also present, such as a missing comma after introductory phrases. These errors occasionally disrupt the flow, but communication is not severely impeded.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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