Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that in the digital age, theatres and cinemas are no longer important as people can watch all the entertainment they want online. Others argue that theatres and cinemas are still important both economically and culturally.

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 5.0)

"Some individuals say that modern age, theatres and cinemas are no longer essential as audiences can see all the entertainment they want online. others argue that theatres and cinemas are still crucial both economically and culturally. The convenience of home streaming is undeniable but it can never finish the importance of cinemas and theatres so I completely disagree with that, Now I am gonna discuss both views in my assay and give an opinion."

"At first, over the past decade subscription platforms have changed significantly and they provides global audiences instant access to newly released movies or series after paying a single fee, such as platforms like netflix, amazon prime. online streaming platforms cause fewer people to visit the theatres because it is much easier to watch at home and it is much cheaper. Nowadays theatres and cinema halls are quite expensive for certain audiences such as students and teenagers. Moreover tickets, drinks, foods are also very expensive at theatres."

"On the contrary, economically cinema halls and theatres provide jobs and boosts the local economy, such as hiring employees from the locals. Culturally theatres maintain the ritual of story telling and cinema halls provides community engagements."

"In contrast. Economically and culturally online platforms and cinema halls both plays a vital role. Occasionally to spend some quality time with friends or family's watching a movie at a cinema hall is much more pleasant but if one is not wanting to go outside they can easily watch movies at home by online platforms. So theatres and cinemas are important both economically and culturally."

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both views and state a position, especially in the opening claim that streaming cannot remove the importance of cinemas and theatres. You also give relevant points about affordability, employment and cultural storytelling. However, the discussion is only partial: the economic and cultural benefits are asserted briefly, with little explanation or specific example, and the final paragraph shifts to personal convenience rather than developing those benefits. The position is also not fully consistent, since you say you “completely disagree” with the first view but later present both options as equally useful. The response contains 247 words, so it is 3 words below the 250-word minimum; 14 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop each side with clearer reasoning and a concrete example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about online streaming, a paragraph on theatres’ benefits, and a concluding paragraph. This gives the reader some organisation. However, progression between ideas is limited, and the final paragraph repeats the claim that both forms are important rather than drawing the discussion together. Linking phrases are sometimes inaccurate or confusing: “At first” does not clearly introduce the streaming argument, while “On the contrary” and “In contrast” are used for ideas that do not clearly oppose what came before. The short third paragraph also leaves its points undeveloped. Use topic sentences that signal each paragraph’s purpose, connect claims to explanations, and reserve contrast markers for genuine contrasts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “subscription platforms,” “global audiences,” “local economy,” and “community engagements.” These choices show an attempt to discuss both the commercial and cultural dimensions of entertainment. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “finish the importance,” “employees from the locals,” and “ritual of story telling.” Some wording is repetitive, particularly “cinema halls and theatres” and “online platforms,” and spelling and capitalisation are inconsistent in names such as “netflix” and “amazon prime.” Aim for more precise collocations and vary repeated terms; this will make your arguments clearer and more natural without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a contrastive sentence beginning “The convenience of home streaming is undeniable” and a conditional idea about staying at home. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “they provides” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, “cinema halls and theatres … boosts” has the same problem, and “both plays” should agree with its plural subject. There are also problems with articles, plurals and sentence boundaries, as in “In contrast.” followed by a new sentence fragment-like transition. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent. Practise checking agreement and sentence boundaries, then build accurate complex sentences using clauses such as “although” and “because.”

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

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