Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-20
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)
There are differing views regarding whether theatres and multiplexes plays a crucial role in entertainment industry or not, in recent years. While some argue that theatres and cinemas are least common among people, others believe that these have had a significant impact. This essay will discuss both the perspectives before explaining why I believe other digital applications offers better and vast entertainment options.
On the one hand, theatres contribute to society as economically and culturally. People experience the live performances by theatre artists, visual and sound effects in cinemas, which are difficult to replicate online. Furthermore, theatres provides employment to artists, platform to show their talents, contributing to the economy. Theatres also helps in preserving cultural values and morals, by depicting diversity of cultures. For instance, many theatre acts are generally based on cultural theme to aware people about their with culture.
On the other hand, those who believe cinemas have least audience argue that other online platforms are more popular among people. Individuals prefer to watch entertaining programs and movies online, without having to drive to theatres. For example, online applications such as Netflix, Amazon prime and Disney hotstar offers great source of entertainment and vast range of films, by paying a fraction of money on its subscriptions, which cost far cheaper than the price of movie tickets. In addition, people do not have much time to commute and watch movies on theatres, which they can easily watch at home while relaxing and without wasting time on commuting.
In conclusion, although cinemas and theatres has economical and cultural benefits, there are of least interest of people due to other affordable online platforms availability.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the economic and cultural benefits of theatres versus the convenience and cost-effectiveness of streaming services. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'cultural values' is mentioned but not fully explained with a concrete example. The essay covers all parts of the prompt, but the arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. The position is consistent throughout, though the conclusion is a bit brief.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In addition' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow. For example, the transition between the economic benefits and cultural values in the second paragraph feels slightly abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion, which helps the reader follow the argument without difficulty.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'multiplexes', 'live performances', and 'subscriptions'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'depicting diversity of cultures' (should be 'depicting diverse cultures') and 'aware people about their with culture' (which is grammatically unclear). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Attempting to use more precise collocations would improve the overall quality of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues: 'theatres and multiplexes plays' (should be 'play'), 'theatres provides' (should be 'provide'), and 'theatres has' (should be 'have'). Additionally, there are errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'on theatres' (should be 'in theatres') and 'at least interest of people' (should be 'of little interest to people'). While these errors do not prevent communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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