Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-27

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)

Nowadays people lives in a digital world and it is more important for them to adopt this digital era. Individuals who do not adopt the latest world and its technology they should be left far behind. As we know theatres and cinemas are significant and they own our cultural values so it is very difficult to leave them. In contrast, many people believe that the online entertainment is having greater value as compared to theatres and cinemas.

On the one hand, some of the individuals believe that as the world is growing digitally there is no need to go to the cinemas and theatres in order to watch something interesting and entertaining like movies, dramas, and other funny stage activities. According to those people online platform can provide more entertainment, like there are many social media apps where you can watch movies and dramas, you can also learn many skills through different online apps. Instead of cinemas and theatres people can watch all that stuff on netflix, youtube, google chrome etc

On the other hand, other people believe that cinemas and theatres are still have their unique values because they are so rooted to our cultural values. Like in the past decades, theatres were at their peak. People also argue that they both have their own significance and are also economically suitable for many peoples. It is also significant for the families to sit together and watch movies and dramas.

In my opinion, both the online world and the cinemas and theatres are important. In order to balance these ideas people should adopt some strategies like if they get bored and need some physical activity they should go to cinema of if they want to get some rest they watch something online. I believe it should depend upon individuals that what they should prefer. Sometimes, People less often to get some free time to go somewhere, so it is also a physical activity to go there and watch something you like to watch.

In conclusion, according to the digital world it is responsibility of a person to adopt strategical approaches to balance life. They should enjoy the entertainment online and also well as going out for cinemas and theatres.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding the economic importance of cinemas is mentioned but not explained or supported with specific details. The position is clear, but the reasoning lacks depth and relies on general statements rather than well-extended arguments. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples or logical explanations for why cinemas remain economically or culturally significant in the modern era.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand' and 'In conclusion', but they are sometimes used in a mechanical or repetitive way. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'People also argue that they both have their own significance', where 'they' is ambiguous. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to create a more natural, sophisticated connection between ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic terms like 'funny stage activities' and 'stuff', which are not appropriate for an academic essay. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'adopt the latest world' and 'economically suitable'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions that would demonstrate a higher level of control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('people lives', 'cinemas are still have'), incorrect preposition usage ('go to cinema of if'), and awkward phrasing ('People less often to get some free time'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and refining your use of complex sentence structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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