Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05

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 5.5)

Some people believe that theaters and cinemas are no longer important because people can access them on internet. Others think that theaters and cinemas are still important as they provide support to the culture and economy. This essay will explore both these views and explain why I believe that an effective approach is the combination of both these perspectives.

There are several reasons that people prefer watching movies online instead of going to theaters and cinemas. Theaters and cinemas are not affordable. People can save a considerable amount of money by enjoying their favorite films and dramas on internet without going to theaters.

They don't need to spend money on travel or to buy expensive tickets for cinema. The conserved money could be spend on other necessities of life. Therefore, many people prefer to watch them online.

Theaters and cinemas also play a significant role in supporting the society economically and culturally. The earnings from the cinemas are crucial for the livelihood of many peoples working as actors. For example, many people made acting in cinemas a profession. Consequently, If people stop going to theaters, many workers have to face economic issues. Furthermore, the theaters protect cultural values. So, they are important to save the culture.

In my opinion, people should enjoy movies, films, and dramas online as well as in theaters and cinemas because both are beneficial for economic growth, individual's approach, and cultural stability.

In conclusion, although online movie are easily accessible, theater movies are also entertaining. However an effective approach is the cooperation of both.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding economic impact is quite brief, and the explanation of how theaters 'protect cultural values' is vague and lacks specific examples. While the task is addressed, the ideas could be extended further to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, restating points rather than synthesizing them into a final thought. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more detailed explanation or a concrete example to support the claims made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', and 'In conclusion', which help the flow of the text. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the relationship between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the economic argument and the cultural argument in the second body paragraph is abrupt. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'economic growth', 'cultural stability', and 'accessible'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'conserved money' (should be 'saved money') and 'individual's approach'. To improve, the student should aim to incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to demonstrate greater flexibility and precision in their writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'access them on internet' (missing 'the'), 'many peoples' (incorrect pluralization), and 'many workers have to face' (should be 'would have to face'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article errors throughout. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage would be beneficial.

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