Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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)

With the passage of time and advancement in technology, means of entertainment have also evolved. Previously, cinemas and theatres were the major entertainment zones for people. But with the rise in technology, internet era dominated, where the people can now watch whatever they want, whenever they want online in their electronic gadgets like tablets, smart phones, computers etc. Now some people say that with such advancement, cinemas and theatres are no longer a need for entertainment, whereas some others think that for our economy and culture, cinemas and theatres are still crucial.

People who belong to the mindset that cinemas and theatres occupy no place in today's world, have seen the evolution of technology. There was a time when there were few spots in the cities where people went to watch films. As time passed, there was invention of television, which delivered this entertainment facility home to home. Similarily, we are living in a digital world now, everything we want to watch is just a few clicks away from us. Due to this, the older methods of entertainment are no longer important and relevant now. But still there are some people who think these are of great significance, both economically and culturally.

I believe that cinemas might be a bit important culturally, but they add no value economically at all, as they are not in need.

I personally know about few theatres which eventually got closed as people barely visited those. Due to this reason, the owners shut them down as they were in consistent loss.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both views but fails to develop the arguments sufficiently. While the prompt asks for a discussion of both economic and cultural importance, the student dismisses the economic aspect in the conclusion without providing a balanced analysis. The ideas are somewhat repetitive, and the personal opinion is not well-supported by evidence or logical reasoning. The essay lacks depth, particularly in explaining why theatres might be culturally important, which is a key part of the prompt. To improve, ensure each viewpoint is explored with specific examples and that the conclusion clearly synthesises the arguments presented.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is mechanical. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Due to this', 'Similarily'), they are sometimes used incorrectly or repetitively. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the overall flow of ideas feels disjointed. The conclusion is abrupt and does not effectively tie the previous arguments together. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of the writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. The student uses basic terms like 'major entertainment zones' and 'electronic gadgets'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'internet era dominated' and 'delivered this entertainment facility home to home', which sound unnatural. The range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little attempt to use less common or more sophisticated lexical items. To improve, focus on learning collocations and more precise academic vocabulary related to media and economics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'People who belong to the mindset that cinemas and theatres occupy no place... have seen' is a clunky construction. There are also issues with articles ('the invention of television') and preposition usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To reach a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate better control over complex sentence forms and reduce the frequency of basic grammatical slips.

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

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