Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-29

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)

I believe we should watch the movie in the theaters, rather watching them online. Life is fast paced these days, and we try to save our time as much as we can. However, movies are source of entertainment, and it is a quite healthy activity. One another point in favor of watching movies in theaters, instead of the online streaming platforms is taking break from these advance tech gadgets and get the real feel of the story.

Furthermore, movies also important for any countries economy. For instance, we talk about the India, they make a lot of money from their movie industry. There are thousands of film studios, with multiple employees, if we shift to only OTT platforms mode, that would decrease their profit. Eventually, there would be a major recession in the cinema industry. In addition to this, if we shift to online streaming there would cause the unemployment of the cinema workers.

On the other hand, watching movies on online platforms, provides an ease of watching movie in our free time. There is no headache of pre-booking and appearing on the exact time to get entertained. Individuals can watch those movies while eating or laying on the bed with extra convenience.

In conclusion, my perspective about movie streaming is clear, that we should the movies in cinema. It benefits the both economy and workers related to this profession. Although, world is changing, and people are becoming lazy going to the theaters, they still miss the feeling of watching it in the full pack cinema with the live reviews, cheers of joy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention economic impacts and personal convenience, the arguments lack depth and specific supporting evidence. For instance, the mention of India is a good start, but it remains a general statement rather than a well-developed example. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with logical reasoning or more detailed illustrations. The conclusion restates your position, but the overall structure of the argument could be more balanced to ensure all parts of the prompt are explored with equal weight.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'In addition to this', and 'On the other hand' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt. For example, the shift from the economic argument to the personal convenience argument could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'they' in the final paragraph, which could refer to either the movies or the people. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'recession', 'convenience', and 'streaming platforms'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'headache of pre-booking' and 'full pack cinema'. These choices are slightly informal or unnatural in an academic context. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and academic vocabulary. While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or less common lexical items limits your score. Expanding your vocabulary to include more nuanced expressions will help you achieve a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the India', 'the both economy'), incorrect verb forms ('movies also important'), and punctuation issues. Some sentences are also slightly fragmented or lack proper subject-verb agreement, such as 'if we shift to online streaming there would cause the unemployment'. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they are noticeable throughout the text. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring that complex structures are formed correctly.

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.