Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-03

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)

Earlier, if people want to watch movie then they had to go to the theatre or cinema. However, nowadays with the introduction of online entertainment platforms like [Netflix and Amazon Prime], they can watch any movie or show at home. Hence, some people argue that in today modern world theatres and cinemas are no longer important, while other says cinemas and theatres are still important for cultures and economically also. In this essay I an going to state advantages of online entertainment and cinemas and then present my own preference at the end.

To commence with the advantages of the cinemas and theatres, there is no doubt in saying that cinemas are crucial for movie industry as they are their biggest source of revenue. Watching a movie in the cinema gives a different experience like the surrounding, sound mapping and viewing angle is set in a specific way to enjoy the movie. At a point, watching a movie in cinema is cheap and at extreme low cost you get very great experience that one cannot get on online platforms. Furthermore, going to cinema is popular among teens as they make a group of friends and go to cinema and it allows them to spend some quality time as there is no disturbance.

On the other hand, there are some major benefits of online entertainment. Some people live in remote areas and they do not have access to the cinema, they just buy the monthly subscription on any entertainment app to watch any film or show. Hence there is no limit online entertainment of any type. In cinema you get only one chance to watch movie on particular time and if you miss that show then your money is gone, that is not the case with online entertainment platforms, as you can watch any movie or show at any time. Apart from it, one can buy family subscription if he want you consume media on more than one device. Also on online platforms you can watch movies from any country or any language, but that is not possible in cinema as they only bring limited movies of local language.

In conclusion, I can suggest online platforms anytime rather than cinemas. There is no doubt that cinema's watching experience cannot be matched nearly by online media. Nonetheless, online platforms offer diversity and freedom and no one judge your preference so i am keen to online media consumption.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the economic importance of cinemas and the convenience of online platforms. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding the economic importance of cinemas is mentioned but not fully explored, and the personal opinion is stated late in the conclusion rather than being integrated throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, you should ensure that each paragraph provides more depth and specific examples to support your claims, rather than listing several points briefly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'At a point' or 'Apart from it'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will help improve the overall cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, covering topics like 'revenue', 'subscription', and 'media consumption'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'sound mapping' (likely meaning sound quality or acoustics) and 'no one judge your preference' (should be 'judges'). There are also minor errors in word form, such as 'cultures and economically' instead of 'cultural and economic reasons'. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more precise terminology to express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the movie industry'), subject-verb agreement ('other says'), and verb tenses ('if people want to watch movie'). Some sentences are also structurally awkward, such as 'I an going to state advantages'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage to improve your accuracy.

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