Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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 world have become more advanced so there are many options to entertain themselves on digital platforms. A certain group of people think due to advancement, watching movies or series in theatres or cinemas are not important because we can find everything online. Whereas others say despite of this technology visiting theatres and cinemas are still interesting because it is the one kind of way to get together with family or friends.

Some people argue that because of advanced technology people are least interested to watch entertainment things in cinemas. They can find any videos online whenever they wanted to watch and they do not need to go anywhere. They also do not need to spend extra money on it. To give an example, According to the survey conducted by the students of Oxford University, people like to watch movies or series at home in mobile or laptop because it saved their time of travel and money.

Complementary to this, the flipside of the topic, it is said that theatres and cinemas are still in important for internal bonding among family or friends.

Going theatres with family or friend can make the people relax and gives a break from their daily routine. It also enables people to take a break from continue screentime. Watching movies in cinema is economically beneficial as it consumes same electricity for some selected people.

To conclude, although it is discussed that, technology replaced the cinemas with digital platforms due to availability of videos online. Theatres are still important for relationship bonding.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, which is a requirement of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding economic benefits is underdeveloped; the claim that cinemas are 'economically beneficial' because they 'consume same electricity' is illogical and lacks clarity. While the position is clear, the supporting points lack depth and specific, convincing evidence. The essay meets the basic requirements of the task but would benefit from more thorough exploration of the economic and cultural impacts mentioned in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly unnatural. Phrases like 'Complementary to this, the flipside of the topic' are awkward and do not flow well. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the transition between the opposing views and the conclusion feels abrupt. While there is an overall logical progression, the connections between sentences and ideas could be smoother and more varied to improve the flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision expected at higher bands. There is a reliance on basic terms such as 'entertainment things' and 'interesting'. Some word choices are imprecise or incorrect, such as 'internal bonding' instead of 'social bonding' or 'interpersonal connection'. There are also minor errors in collocation, such as 'go theatres' (should be 'go to theatres') and 'continue screentime' (should be 'continuous screen time'). To improve, you should focus on using more sophisticated vocabulary and ensuring that words are used in their correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'Nowadays world have become' (subject-verb agreement), 'despite of this technology' (incorrect preposition usage), and 'whenever they wanted to watch' (tense inconsistency). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and consistent verb tenses would significantly improve the quality of your writing.

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

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