Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-16
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)
few people think that theatre and cinemas have no role in society any more because people have access to all the movies on online platforms ;nevertheless, others say that cinemas are still important. This essay intends to elaborate both the statements briefly in upcoming paragraphs with relevant examples.
Beginning with, people can avoid visiting cinemas and theatre because they have access to all that in online platforms such as Netflix, Amazon prime video, Jio cinema and others, this not only saves time but but also saves money of people because people are very workaholic nowadays and they do not have enough time to go cinemas to watch movies ;moreover, tickets to these theatres are very expensive as compare to online platforms so people can have many benefits by avoiding such things,
on the other hand, theatres and cinemas play a pivotal role in buildings relations and strong bonds between relative people and helps to connect them to culture as people make some plans to meet their relatives and theatres act as a catalyst for them ;furthermore, people living in foreign countries watch movies of their native language and meet people of their own countries in cinemas. Moreover, tickets sold in such events also enhance economy of a country. As an example, government of India made contact with theatre owners and charged 10% tax on each ticket sold.
however in my opinion, if people start to visit cinemas usually than this will either waste their time or waste their money but if they visit such places ocassionaly than people can take benefit of it and spend their time happily.
to sum up, visiting cinemas have both negtive and positive impacts pf life of people but if utilize these programs with planning than such events can be beneficial.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| 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 task. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the economic argument regarding the Indian government's tax policy is a specific detail but lacks a broader explanation of how this sustains the industry's cultural importance. The personal opinion is also slightly contradictory, suggesting that visiting cinemas is a waste of time and money, yet also beneficial if done occasionally. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your arguments with more depth and ensure your position is consistent and clearly articulated throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Beginning with' to start a paragraph or the repetitive use of 'moreover'. There are also issues with punctuation, specifically the misuse of semicolons and the lack of proper capitalization at the start of sentences (e.g., 'on the other hand', 'however'). While the progression of ideas is generally logical, the transitions between sentences could be smoother and more varied to improve the overall flow of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'important', 'things', and 'programs'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'buildings relations' instead of 'building relationships' and 'relative people' instead of 'relatives'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or idiomatic language limits the score. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to the entertainment industry and cultural economics.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'theatres and cinemas play a pivotal role in buildings relations'), incorrect preposition usage ('as compare to'), and missing articles. Punctuation is a significant area for improvement, particularly the inconsistent capitalization after periods and the misuse of semicolons. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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