Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Nowadays, crime related novels and TV shows are becoming more and more popular across the globe. This essay will discuss the main reasons behind the trend and will present points whether this is a positive or negative impact in terms of individual and society prespective.

The main reasons crime novels and TV shows have gained popularity is because of it invoke an interesting prespective. Many individuals enjoy watching shows which are based on imagination and have the ability to challenge their beliefs. In recent research conducted by Oxford University revealed that more than 60 % of working population prefer to watch horror fiction TV shows on weekend as a part of their relaxation. This is mainly because it helps them to come out of their routine and somewhere address their curiosity.

In my opinion, this can directly or indirectly can change the prespective of individuals and influence their behaviour. For instance, people who regularly watch crime shows can built an ability to respond certain situation differently and can harm others. Moreover, human behaviour is highly dependent on the environment and their actions are influenced by the things they watch or read on the daily basis. Therefore, there is a high probability of someone hurting other in anger.

In conclusion, although its a leisure activity for some people to watch crime shows or read novel to take a break from their routine. I strongly believe at human level things can escalate anytime in wrong direction if people are exposed to such content on daily basis.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the prompt: you suggest that crime fiction offers an imaginative escape and satisfies curiosity, and you give a clear, generally negative view of its possible influence. The example about viewers relaxing at weekends supports the popularity point, while the discussion of behaviour explains your concern. However, the reasons for popularity are narrow: the response mainly develops escape and curiosity, rather than exploring other possible attractions such as suspense, solving puzzles, or compelling characters. Your claim that viewers may harm others is also asserted more than demonstrated, and the research example is not clearly connected to crime fiction because it refers to horror shows. Develop each explanation with a more specific link to the question and a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on popularity, a paragraph giving your opinion, and a conclusion. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “In my opinion,” “Moreover,” and “Therefore” help show how ideas relate. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and some links are unclear. For example, the move from viewers’ curiosity to the claim that they may harm others needs an explicit explanation. The conclusion repeats the concern about harmful effects rather than drawing together both the reasons for popularity and your opinion. Use clearer referencing and develop the connection between each supporting point and the main idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “crime related novels,” “curiosity,” “influence their behaviour,” and “routine.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Interesting prespective” is vague, and “come out of their routine” is not a natural way to describe taking a break. The repeated use of “prespective” also makes the expression less precise. There are spelling and word-form problems, including “prespective” and “built an ability,” which can distract the reader. Aim for more precise terms for the appeal of crime stories and check common collocations and spelling during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “which,” and “although.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to process. For example, “The main reasons … is because of it invoke” has problems with agreement and clause structure, while “people who regularly watch crime shows can built an ability” uses an incorrect verb form. The sentence beginning “In conclusion, although…” is a dependent clause without a complete main clause. There are also issues with articles, plurals, and punctuation. Practise building accurate complex sentences, then check subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and whether each sentence is complete.

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