Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

While some people believe that the era of theatres and cinema is a thing from the past and believe that it no longer holds the same importance it used to hold back in the day because everything is now available on the internet. Though, i believe that theatres and cinemas remain equally important as it used to be and has economic as well as cultural impact.

On the one hand, in this modern era and with the emergence of new technology. Firstly, Movies and Plays are available to watch on applications and websites for example amazon prime, netflix and disney plus along with many other platforms. Secondly, people do not have to follow a strict time to reach a certain place for their movie and can stream the media at their leisure time whenever they want at their own convenience. Furthermore , everyone has experienced that movie theatres are often too crowded, people talk loudly during the film, unnecessary advertisements or sometimes there is a crying baby which makes streaming movies online even more appealing.

On the other hand, many people argue that going to a local theatre and watching a film along with friends and family is still better than watching alone on the internet. Firstly, watching the movie on a bigger screen is more engaging and people can pay attention to the details the filmmakers put in the film. Secondly, going to the movies with your friends and family is a bonding experience. In addition, theatres still have a big impact economically for example the new spiderman movie made 800 million dollars in the first week of release.

In conclusion, even though people can stream movies online at own time without having to go to crowded public areas. In my opinion theatres cannot be replaced and it is still a great place to socialize.

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, while you mention the economic impact of cinemas, the point about the 'Spiderman' movie is a specific example but lacks a broader explanation of how this sustains the industry. The introduction is slightly fragmented, with the first sentence being a sentence fragment. To reach a higher band, ensure that your position is more consistently supported throughout the body paragraphs and that the conclusion synthesizes the arguments rather than just restating them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and there are issues with punctuation, such as the space before the comma in 'Furthermore ,' and the use of lowercase 'i' for the first-person pronoun. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'stream,' 'convenience,' and 'socialize.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of repetitive phrasing. For example, you use 'movie' and 'film' interchangeably, which is fine, but the overall lexical variety is restricted. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and academic vocabulary related to the digital age and cultural economics to demonstrate a higher level of precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Notable issues include sentence fragments in the introduction ('While some people...'), incorrect verb agreement ('theatres... remains'), and capitalization errors (e.g., 'i', 'amazon', 'netflix'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring every sentence has a clear subject and main verb.

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