Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-31

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people think that the fictional violence portrayed on television is harmless entertainment. Others disagree and think that it encourages violent behaviour.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Opinions differ regarding the impact of fictional violence portrayed on television. While some individuals think that it is harmless entertainment, I largely believe that it can encourage violent behavior by reducing empathy and increasing aggression among the viewers.

Fictional violence portrayed on television is harmless entertainment because it is a good source of entertainment. The visual content can keep the viewers attentive for a longer time. For example, watching characters falling from the sky can make someone be attentive as they wait for the next move. Consequently, it becomes the most interesting type of entertainment.

Nevertheless, it would be unrealistic to overlook the fact that the information absorbed regularly can influence a person's character by increasing aggression among the viewers. For instance, when a baby who does not understand English watches cartoons displayed in English, they can become aggressive and begin to imitate the successful characters eventually behaving like them.

Furthermore, excessive exposure to fictional violence may reduce empathy and make individuals less sensitive to the suffering of others. For example, researchers have found an association between the behavior of several criminals and their interest in fictional violent movies online which clearly illustrates the relationship between reality and information absorbed by the human brain. Essentially, criminals become less sensitive to other people by absorbing violent content regularly. As a result, they end up killing fellow human beings.

To conclude, while the exposure to violent movies can be entertaining to the viewers, I largely believe that it may be harmful because it can increase aggression among the viewers and reduce their empathy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal position. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument supporting the 'harmless' view is quite weak, relying on a simplistic example of characters 'falling from the sky' to explain why television is interesting. The second perspective is better developed, with more logical reasoning regarding empathy and aggression. To reach a higher band, you should provide more sophisticated examples and ensure that the 'harmless' viewpoint is explored with as much depth as the opposing view, perhaps by discussing the role of fantasy or escapism in a more nuanced way.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'Nevertheless', 'Furthermore', and 'As a result' are used to link ideas. However, the transition between the first body paragraph and the second could be smoother. Some of the linking is slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences occasionally feels a bit repetitive. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the progression of ideas is more seamless would help elevate this score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fictional violence', 'aggression', and 'empathy' correctly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'overlook' and 'association'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and some phrasing is repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'viewers' and 'entertainment'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations. For example, instead of repeating 'interesting type of entertainment', you could use 'engaging form of media' or 'compelling visual content'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies. For instance, the phrase 'when a baby who does not understand English watches cartoons displayed in English' is a bit clunky, and 'make someone be attentive' is unnatural. There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrasing. To achieve a higher band, focus on increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring that your verb patterns and word order are consistently natural and error-free.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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