Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14

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 6.0)

In recent years, the digital platforms have become increasingly popular in terms of movies and programs. The online sources have become the threat to traditional theatres and cinemas. Some people argue that due to increasing usage of online platforms, theatres and cinemas are no longer important. While others oppose this due to economical and cultural benefits. In my opinion, theatres and cinemas should continue to operate for nation's benefits and digital platforms should grow alongside to entertain people in their free time.

On the one hand, the digital platforms play an important role during long journeys. This is because the people who travel by train or airplane have to wait several hours to reach their destination and online sources help people to pass the time. For example, if a person is traveling by an airplane, he or she has to reach an airport few hours prior to the departure time. In the meantime a person is usually free and gets bored, by watching movies and programs on the digital platforms help an individual to pass the time. In addition, internet facilities make entertainment affordable for the people with a lower income. If a person cannot afford to purchase cinema tickets, they can watch shows and programs on the internet.

On the other hand, critics argue that theatres and cinemas are beneficial for overall nation's economy. The large amount of the revenue is generated from the traditional cinemas, which contributes to a country's economy. If this revenue source is closed then it will negatively affects the overall economy. Furthermore, by watching movies in cinemas help in maintaining the traditional culture of the country. The programs on the internet often promotes internationally common culture. For instance, shows on online platforms often promote dances such as hip-hop and break-dance but traditional dances such as Kathak and Bhangra cannot be promoted with the help of the internet.

In conclusion, online platforms and traditional cinemas, both are equally important. A balanced approach works best. the digital platforms help to entertain people at any time and at any place, but traditional cinemas should also exist to maintain traditional culture and provide support to the nation's economy.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the decline of traditional venues and their continued importance. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the convenience of digital platforms and the economic/cultural value of cinemas. However, some arguments could be more deeply developed; for instance, the link between cinemas and 'maintaining traditional culture' is a strong point, but the example regarding specific dance forms is slightly narrow. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the two sides of the argument is clear using 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'In addition' and 'Furthermore'. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the sentence 'by watching movies and programs on the digital platforms help an individual', which is slightly clunky. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'digital platforms', 'revenue', and 'traditional culture'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the online sources have become the threat' (should be 'a threat') and 'overall nation's economy' (should be 'the nation's economy'). While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, some phrasing feels slightly repetitive. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding minor errors in article usage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent minor grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the digital platforms', 'the traditional cinemas') and subject-verb agreement ('by watching movies... help' should be 'helps'). There are also some punctuation errors, such as the lowercase 'the' starting the final paragraph. Despite these errors, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical consistency and refining the use of articles.

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