Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-31
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)
A number of people argue that with the introduction of online entertainment services, theatres and cinemas will no longer relevant. While others believe that audience still visits theatres for overall experience. No doubt online streaming is cost-effective, while theatres and cinema has a immerse experience. Both have its advantages and disadvantages.
On one hand online streaming has flexibility. A single time subscription worked for whole month grant unlimited access to viewers, eliminating the need to purchase tickets individually. Furthermore, we had freedom to play, can stop during the story, rewind back according to our convenience. For instance, if an urgent task arises during the movie, user simply save the movie for later watch. Despites these advantages, users may miss the environment that theatres and cinemas provided.
On the other hand, theatres and cinemas provided movie with 8k exclusively picture results that are not possible with online streaming. For example, nowadays as we seen individuals are busy in their daily tasks, they have not enough time to spend with their families. However, theatres and cinemas provide them an opportunity to go with their families and enjoyed their quality time with them. Although its costly and we have spent money to purchase ticket separately. Additionally, its best way to generate income. Moreover, many modern pictures required only cinemas to display.
In conclusion, while watching films online both save money and time, it fails to recreates the cinematic atmosphere depth and sensory quality of the cinema. Therefore, theatres remained relevant for those seeking a truly captivating experience.
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 clear personal opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits of online streaming are explained, the economic and cultural importance of cinemas is mentioned in a list-like fashion rather than being fully explored. For instance, the claim that cinemas are the 'best way to generate income' is asserted without supporting evidence or explanation. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or logical reasoning to ensure all parts of the prompt are equally well-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as 'Despites these advantages' (should be 'Despite') and 'Although its costly' (which is a sentence fragment). The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You attempt some topic-specific vocabulary like 'subscription', 'cinematic atmosphere', and 'sensory quality'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice or collocation errors, such as '8k exclusively picture results' and 'rewind back' (which is redundant). Additionally, there are minor errors in word form, such as 'theatres and cinema has a immerse experience' (should be 'immersive'). To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that adjectives and nouns are used in their correct forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('audience still visits', 'theatres and cinema has'), tense inconsistency ('we had freedom', 'as we seen'), and missing articles or incorrect prepositions. Some sentences are also grammatically incomplete or poorly structured, such as 'A single time subscription worked for whole month grant unlimited access'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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