Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-07

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)

Cinemas and theatres are not given priority as this digital era people use online sources to watch all sorts of entertainment. But other people gives contrasting views that theatre and cinemas are of same importance both in the view of cost and culture. In this essay, I will discuss both views and, I will give my opinion and draw a conclusion.

With the advancement in the field of technology every body has access to the content they want to see from the ease of their home. In this digital era, people think that cinemas and theatres are not necessary because they have different websites on their mobile phones and laptops and they can use them to watch any type of videos whether a stage drama or a comedy show for this reason they say both are no longer important.

On the other hand some people gives contrasting views and say that they are important because people from remote areas still do not have access to internet services. Hence, people from far away villages come to the cities and go to cinemas with their families and friends for the source of entertainment.

In my opinion, cinemas and theatres are still important because they provide us a chance to have fun with our friends and family. Due to the advancement in the technology people have limited themselves to their homes and rooms. They are still very importance with regard to the cost and culture because the internet sources are too much costly and they do not promote the culture of a area where we live and cinemas and theatre play important role in filling the cultural gap. Hence, cinemas and theatres play a very important role in gathering people at one place for fun and entertainment.

To conclude the above discussion about some people who think cinemas are of no importance in the digital age and about people who still give importance and I strongly agree that cinemas and theatres are still very important both economically and traditionally.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding economic and cultural importance is mentioned but not fully explored with specific examples or deep analysis. The points made about internet costs and cultural gaps are relevant but remain at a surface level. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your arguments by providing more concrete evidence or detailed explanations of how cinemas specifically preserve culture or impact local economies.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical. Phrases like 'On the other hand' and 'In my opinion' are used correctly, but there is a lack of more sophisticated linking words to connect sentences and ideas more fluidly. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, and the transition between the discussion of the two views and your own opinion could be smoother to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic terms such as 'important', 'good', and 'things'. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'digital era' and 'cultural gap', the range is limited. There are also some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'internet sources are too much costly', which should be 'too expensive' or 'prohibitively expensive'. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'some people gives' instead of 'some people give') and article usage. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that hinder the natural flow of the text. To achieve a higher band, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and reducing errors in basic sentence construction, while also attempting a wider variety of complex grammatical structures.

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

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