Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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, crime TV series and novels have witnessed a significant surge across the globe. The purpose of this essay is to explore the various factors that are involved in the popularity of these genres and also give my own opinion.

One major reason for this growing trend is that crime TV shows and novels fascinate the human mind and stimulate the intellectual capacity. For instance in the movie "LOST", the story explored themes like murder, mystery, theft and disappeance. It allows the viewers to piece clues together with the detectives in the movie in other to solve a puzzle. In so doing the brain activity is stimulated quantitatively.

Secondly, crime Television show and novels helps to expose the dark nature of humanity. Violence, corruption and terrorism are exposed in such movies . Viewers are allowed to understand the complexity of human behavior while being entertained at the same time. The societal ills are also uncovered for instance, the book 'wild heart' was centered on social misbehaviours like ; drug addiction, robbery and injustice. This storyline allows their viewers to evaluate these social ills and how to curb these menace.

As for my own opinion, I am partly in favour of these genres because, these movies strengthens the mental reasoning, stimulate the human mind , exposes the social decline in our world today as well as understudies the dark nature of human life while still entertaining the viewers. However I have my reservations, for producers who glamorize violence for shock value. They sensationalize real life tragedies and this can desensitize the viewers and trivialize the victims suffering.

In conclusion, Crime novels and TV shows are a great way to stimulate the human mind, enlighten the masses about moral ethics, and exposes the various societal misdemeanors while still offering entertainment value to its audience. It is the responsibility of the producer to ensure that these stories are portrayed for educational purposes and not used exploitatively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses both questions: it gives reasons for the genre’s popularity, including its puzzle-solving appeal and its exposure of social problems, and states a qualified opinion. The position is clear in “I am partly in favour,” with a relevant reservation about producers who sensationalise real tragedies. Examples such as the discussion of “LOST” and the book “wild heart” help support the points. To make the development more consistently convincing, explain more specifically how these examples demonstrate broad audience appeal; the claim that crime stories “stimulate the intellectual capacity,” for instance, is asserted rather than fully illustrated. The conclusion also repeats several earlier benefits instead of adding a distinct final insight.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall progression: an introduction, two paragraphs explaining popularity, a paragraph giving your opinion, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “One major reason,” “Secondly,” and “As for my own opinion” make the stages easy to follow, and the contrast introduced by “However” clearly signals your reservation. This logical organisation supports the reader throughout. Some connections are less smooth because ideas are occasionally listed rather than developed in sequence—for example, the opinion paragraph strings together several benefits before moving to the concern about sensationalism. The conclusion also repeats points from earlier paragraphs. Use clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and vary transitions so the structure feels less formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “stimulate,” “complexity of human behavior,” “corruption,” “desensitize,” and “trivialize.” These choices help express both the appeal of crime fiction and your concerns about its effects. You also attempt less common expressions such as “shock value” and “societal ills,” though some wording is inaccurate or awkward: “disappeance,” “in other to,” “curb these menace,” and “understudies the dark nature” reduce precision. Some phrases, such as “stimulated quantitatively,” do not convey the intended idea naturally. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling and word forms; this will make your vocabulary more flexible and precise without relying on repeated terms such as “stimulate” and “viewers.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and complex structures, such as “While being entertained at the same time” and the sentence beginning “However I have my reservations.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “crime Television show and novels helps” and “these movies strengthens”; the plural subjects require plural verbs. The sentence “It allows the viewers” also has an unclear reference, while the long opinion sentence would benefit from clearer clause structure and punctuation. Commas are missing after introductory phrases such as “For instance,” and punctuation around “However” is inaccurate. Review agreement, pronoun reference, and sentence boundaries, while continuing to use complex forms.

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