Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-06

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)

In recent years, crime novels and crime related TV dramas are are becoming increasingly popular.There are several reasons behind it, particularly the suspense and excitement these dramas and books provide. In this essay I will give the reasons and my opinion for this.

One of the main reason of the popularity of crime books and drama is that they keep audience engage and curious. To elaborate, most of the books and drama involve mystries so the viewers tries to identify the criminals before the truth reveal. Furthermore, the most of the dramas has unexpected twist which make them more entertainment.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify one plausible reason for the popularity of crime fiction: suspense, mysteries and the chance to guess the criminal. However, the response addresses the task only minimally. It does not develop the reasons with examples or explanation, and it does not give a clear opinion of crime novels and TV dramas, despite promising to do so in the introduction. The response also falls substantially short of the required minimum length, leaving both parts of the question largely unanswered. To improve, explain at least two reasons in detail, support them with a relevant example, and state whether you enjoy or value this genre, with reasons for your view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction is followed by a paragraph explaining one reason, and linking expressions such as “To elaborate” and “Furthermore” help signal the development. The ideas within that paragraph are broadly connected, moving from audience curiosity to mysteries and unexpected twists. However, the essay stops before establishing a complete progression or conclusion, and the promised opinion is not presented. Some connections are also difficult to follow because the explanation is compressed. Develop separate paragraphs for the reasons and your opinion, use clear references between ideas, and finish with a brief conclusion that brings your response together.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “suspense,” “mysteries,” “identify the criminals” and “unexpected twist.” These choices communicate the general subject and show an attempt to explain why the genre attracts viewers. However, the range is narrow and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “crime related,” “keep audience engage,” “mystries” and “more entertainment.” The repeated use of “dramas,” “books” and “popular” also limits variety. Aim for accurate collocations and a wider set of topic-specific expressions, such as “hold viewers’ attention,” “solve the case” and “plot twists,” while checking spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including a sentence beginning “To elaborate” and one introduced by “Furthermore.” The main ideas remain understandable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and punctuation are noticeable. For example, “One of the main reason” needs a plural noun, while “the viewers tries” and “the most of the dramas has” contain agreement or article problems. In “before the truth reveal,” the verb form is incomplete, and the opening repeats “are.” Punctuation spacing is also inconsistent. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and correctly matched verb, and proofread articles and sentence boundaries.

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