Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-10

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 5.5)

Fictional violence can be both harmless or encouraging it depends on the viewer and their thought process. For someone who takes fiction as fiction only and is not easily influenced by it, and they have strong opinions and point of view and are not easily swayed by violence portrayal will take it as just a form of entertainment. On the other hand, some people do get influenced by it too. When they watch these things repeatedly they keep thinking about it and ultimately want to try it in real life.

I personally believe that violence should not be encouraged. It should be portrayed in a way that it doesn't feel enchanting to people. In movies and dramas, it is very important to show the consequences of such heinous crimes and how they affect everyone and destroy everyone's life. There are some real life examples of some serial killers who took inspiration for their murders from a certain television series or a movies. These things can be prevented if violence isn't promoted as a heroic thing.

People should also learn to differentiate reality from fiction. A scene from a fiction is afek and curated by a director and played by trained actors. The deaths are not real. But violence in real life has real consequences.

I personally love crime, thriller genre and watch a lot of movies and dramas on this genre. I watch them purely for entertaintment and sometimes for awareness but doesn't idolize the gore material and violence at all. Things can be reversed in fiction as it is far from reality but in reality nothing can be undone so one should choose wisely.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both views and gives a clear personal position: fictional violence may be harmless for some viewers, while repeated exposure could influence others, and you argue that it should not be presented as admirable. The discussion is relevant, and the examples about real-life offenders and your own viewing habits help make the position personal. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the claim that viewers may imitate violence is asserted rather than explained with a specific example or reasoning, and the opposing view receives less attention. The point about showing consequences is useful but could be linked more directly to how television affects audiences. Develop each view with a fuller explanation and a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: it introduces the two views, states your opinion, and then adds points about distinguishing fiction from reality and your own experience. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “I personally believe” help signal changes in direction. However, progression is not always smooth: the final paragraph shifts from personal viewing habits to a general recommendation without a clear link, and several ideas are crowded into long sentences. References such as “these things” are also broad, so the reader must infer whether they mean violent portrayals or their effects. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each paragraph’s examples to its main point, and vary linking phrases rather than relying on simple transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “portrayed,” “influenced,” “consequences,” “heinous crimes,” and “differentiate reality from fiction.” These choices communicate your ideas and show some willingness to use more specific language. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “violence portrayal,” “enchanting to people,” and “gore material.” There are also spelling errors in “entertaintment” and “afek,” which reduce accuracy. Some wording is repetitive, particularly “real life” and “violence.” Aim for more natural collocations and precise terms, such as “depictions of violence,” “glamorise violence,” and “graphic content,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “For someone who takes fiction as fiction only…” and the contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some sentences contain several linked clauses without secure grammatical control. For example, “For someone who takes fiction as fiction only … and they have strong opinions … will take it” has an unclear subject and agreement, while “I watch them … but doesn’t idolize” shifts subject and verb form. The opening phrase “can be both harmless or encouraging” also needs a more accurate paired construction. Break long sentences into clearer units and check that each subject has a matching verb and consistent pronouns.

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

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