Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-10
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 5.5)
In this modern era, some people prefer theatres and cinemas for their entertainment source but some of them think these sources is important economically and culturally. Here, I support both of these views although both have some positive and negative aspects.
Firstly, I discuss it as a source of entertainment, people specially visit these places by sparing time from their busy schedule and enjoy their interest. Also they are able to spend time with families and their loved ones. Secondly, these have great importance economically and culturally in the development of country, because culturally, our forefathers are used to visit these places for their enjoyment source. Some negative aspects are if people not visit these places they are only stick to digital devices they are also unable to enjoy quality time with their families because, they are too busy in their phones or computers unable to hear their surroundings. Economically and culturally are important to keep the traditions of our forefathers. But I think not a big role as such for the progress of our country.
Although, both views have some positive as well as negative aspects but have equally importance for the prosperity of country. In this time, it is very difficult to get times and spend with their families so, I think this is the best way to keep in touch with loved ones and also able to understand the feelings and emotions of others by sitting together at a time.
In conclusion, although online access has made it easier for people to access different forms of entertainment, I believe these are still important for cultural and economic reasons.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is limited. For example, the economic and cultural arguments are mentioned but not sufficiently explained or supported with concrete examples. The student states that theatres are important for the 'development of country' but fails to elaborate on how or why. The position is somewhat inconsistent, as the student claims to support both views but then suggests theatres do not play a 'big role' in progress. More depth and clearer logical progression are needed to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical and sometimes confusing. While transition words like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' are used, they do not always lead to a logical development of the argument. For instance, the second paragraph jumps between entertainment, economic importance, and negative aspects of digital devices without a clear thematic structure. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Economically and culturally are important', where the subject is missing. The overall progression of ideas is disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the argument's trajectory.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. The student relies on repetitive phrasing, such as 'important economically and culturally' and 'positive and negative aspects'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'sparing time from their busy schedule' (should be 'taking time') and 'only stick to digital devices' (should be 'stuck to'). The range of vocabulary is limited to common, everyday words, and there is little attempt to use less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions that would demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('these sources is important'), missing articles, and awkward sentence construction ('Economically and culturally are important to keep the traditions'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary commas used throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to sentence structure and proofreading for basic errors is essential.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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