Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-09

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)

A substantial proportion of the countries in todays era shows a huge variety of crime documentaries and also publish novels related to it. These programs and books are getting really famous as many individuals are curious to know what is happening in the World. These shows bring about a tangible impact on peoples mind, both positively and negatively.

Crime dramas on national televison makes a lot of difference in a persons thinking style. For instance, two months back I watched a crime documentary on Youtube with my husband, where a daughter brutally killed her own blood mother for the sake of money which was really traumatizing for me to accept. It was over my mind for the next couple of days and affected my work. While, on the other hand my husband was totally fine with it as he stated that it is good that one must know what harm can a person bring in your life whether it is your children or any sibling. One must stay cautious all the time.

The population who often read crime novels develop valuable knowledge regarding the topic. They are good at mangaging pressures effectively and efficiently. People who do not read or watch stuff like these in their lives are mostly calm and patient and have little or no knowledge regarding the crimes going on in the nation.

Admitted, the fame of the crime series and novels is justified and people should watch these documentaries to live for a longer period of time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you suggest that people are curious about crime and give a personal reaction to a documentary, then state that crime programmes and novels are popular and should be watched. However, the reasons for their popularity are not clearly explained or developed. The example about your different reactions illustrates the impact of crime content more than why audiences seek it out. Your opinion is also difficult to interpret: you describe a negative effect on yourself, but conclude that people should watch these programmes “to live for a longer period of time,” without explaining the connection. Develop a few relevant reasons—such as suspense, puzzle-solving, or learning about investigations—and make your overall view consistent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has separate paragraphs and a broadly understandable sequence, moving from a general introduction to a personal example, a further claim, and a conclusion. However, the progression between ideas is not always clear. The paragraph beginning “The population who often read crime novels” introduces knowledge and pressure management without showing how these points connect to the earlier example or the question of popularity. Linking expressions such as “While, on the other hand” are awkwardly combined, and “Admitted” does not clearly signal the relationship between the conclusion and the preceding points. Give each paragraph a clear purpose and use transitions to show cause, contrast, and conclusion more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt some topic-related and less common vocabulary, including “tangible impact,” “traumatizing,” “cautious,” and “justified,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, which limits clarity: “a huge variety of crime documentaries” does not clearly describe the popularity of crime fiction, and “develop valuable knowledge regarding the topic” is vague. There are also spelling and word-form errors, such as “televison” and “mangaging,” alongside inconsistent capitalization of “World.” Aim for accurate collocations and specific terms that express your intended point. For example, distinguish crime dramas from documentaries and explain what viewers learn or enjoy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “a crime documentary … where a daughter brutally killed…” and a contrast between your and your husband’s reactions. However, errors in agreement, articles, possessives, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “Crime dramas … makes” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “in todays era” and “peoples mind” need possessive forms. The sentence beginning “While, on the other hand” is not correctly connected to the preceding sentence, and “Admitted” is not used as a grammatical introductory expression here. Check subject–verb agreement and possessives, and revise sentence boundaries and introductory phrases.

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