Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-05

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 6.5)

In recent years, there is an increasing demand for crime fiction such as crime novels and crime TV dramas. People prefer these to other fictional stories due to several reasons like learning survival techniques when in danger or the joy of being able to recognise the villian. This essay will discuss the reasons why they are popular, as well as give my opinion.

Crime fiction and crime TV shows are great because, they make people aware of the different crimes in the society today. Most of these crime novels are based on true life stories of what happened in the community in the past. It is also a way of creating awareness of past crime mysteries and how they were solved. In addition, people love crime TV dramas or crime novels because of the suspense they create, and how it makes one glued to the end, trying to determine how they solve the crime.

Furthermore, people watch crime TV shows to learn some basic self-defence techniques that will help them when they find themselves in similar suitation. For instance, while growing up, my brother usually recommend that I watch these dramas, so that I will know the methods used by bad people when approaching girls and how to fight them off especially when no one is around.

However, while watching crime movies can be beneficial, it should be done in moderation as some people tend to be addicted to it. Also, exposing young adults to crime novel or dramas can result in them trying out what they learn in the TV to see if they can get away with it, or just for fun. This is not good for the society because it leads to increase in crime rates.

To conclude, although crime novels and crime TV shows can help to make people of aware of the crimes in the society and equip them with survival skills, I think it should be PG rated so as not to expose the young ones to crime possiblities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the reasons why crime fiction and TV dramas are popular and presenting a clear personal opinion. The writer covers several relevant ideas, such as learning survival techniques and enjoying the suspense. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others; for instance, the point regarding the joy of recognising the villain is introduced in the introduction but receives limited elaboration in the body paragraphs compared to the points on self-defence and societal awareness. Additionally, the discussion on the negative impacts of consuming such media lacks fully extended supporting arguments. Overall, the ideas presented are relevant and demonstrate an understanding of the task requirements, successfully meeting the criteria for this level while showing glimpses of more thoroughly supported arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression throughout. The response is appropriately structured into five paragraphs, including an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'However'. However, some referencing and cohesion are slightly mechanical or faulty, such as the repetitive use of 'crime novels and crime TV shows' without varied substitution. Paragraphing is generally well-managed, guiding the reader smoothly from the reasons for popularity to the personal opinion and potential drawbacks. To reach the next level, the writer needs to employ cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure that referencing across sentences and paragraphs is smoother and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating ideas about crime fiction, suspense, and self-defence. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'survival techniques', 'suspense', 'self-defence', and 'moderation'. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, spelling, and word form, such as spelling 'villian' instead of 'villain', writing 'crime novel' instead of the plural 'novels', and using 'suitation' instead of 'situation'. Despite these lexical errors, meaning is rarely obscured, and communication is clear throughout. To achieve a higher score, the writer should expand their vocabulary range further, improve spelling accuracy, and demonstrate more precise control over less common lexical items and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct compound and complex sentences using subordinating clauses, such as 'while watching crime movies can be beneficial, it should be done in moderation' and 'techniques that will help them'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including tense inconsistency in the opening sentence ('In recent years, there is'), unnecessary comma usage ('because, they make'), and minor prepositional or pluralisation issues in sentences like 'make people of aware' and 'crime possiblities'. Nonetheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. The majority of simple sentences are clear, and the punctuation is generally adequate. To progress further, the writer should aim for a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over verb tenses and articles.

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