Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-13
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 the digital age, theatres and cinemas are no longer important. People can watch all the entertainment online.
In previous years, almost a decade ago, people went to theaters and cinemas to watch movies and plays, but now everything is available online on the internet.
In theaters and cinemas, people have to go to a specific place where the theater is located to watch the play, movie, or drama. People have to buy tickets to go and watch. There are very big screens where many people can watch the movie at once. It enhances social life and interaction with other people, also a moment of relief from daily life. People go and watch their favorite movie or drama there. But one disadvantage of this was you can never decide which movie should be played on the screen, you can just choose from the list shown by the theater owner. The list contains names and times for the movies, and you can select what you should watch. You can go with friends and family, enjoy a piece of time, and make great memories.
But now everyone can watch movies online, anywhere they want, anytime they want. People can select whatever movie, play, or drama they want to watch, whether is new or old. People can watch it anywhere, anytime, and a big advantage of this is that they can stop and resume it anytime they want.
In my opinion, cinemas and theatres are important because everything you want is available online and mostly without any costs. The teams, peoples who works for creating the movie spend a lot of time amount to get the results in the form of views from the theaters and cinemas.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both sides of the argument but fails to provide a clear, coherent opinion. While you mention that cinemas are important in the final paragraph, the reasoning is contradictory and confusing, as you state that online content is 'mostly without any costs' while simultaneously arguing for the economic value of cinemas. The development of ideas is limited; for example, the economic and cultural importance mentioned in the prompt is not adequately explored. The conclusion is abrupt and does not effectively summarize your position or synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-supported point that directly relates to the prompt's requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is often disjointed. While you use some basic cohesive devices like 'but' and 'in my opinion', the transitions between sentences are sometimes mechanical or repetitive. The logical flow within paragraphs is hindered by simple sentence structures and a lack of sophisticated linking words. For instance, the transition from discussing the benefits of cinemas to the benefits of online streaming is abrupt. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'on the other hand') to better connect your arguments and improve the overall flow of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the range and precision required for a higher score. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'watch movies', 'go and watch', and 'anywhere they want'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'a piece of time' (which is not a standard collocation) and 'the teams, peoples who works for creating the movie'. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to the film industry, such as 'cinematic experience', 'revenue streams', 'cultural heritage', or 'digital accessibility'. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you avoid repetitive language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('peoples who works'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing ('spend a lot of time amount to get the results'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence variety is limited, with many sentences following a similar structure. To improve, focus on mastering complex sentence forms, such as using relative clauses or conditional structures, and pay closer attention to basic grammatical rules like pluralization and verb tense consistency. Proofreading for these common errors will significantly improve the clarity of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.