Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-10

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)

In the contemporary world, a certain number of individuals argue that people no longer need physical cinemas and performance venues as they can any movie and show online, while others contemplate that theatres and cinemas will continue to possess economical and cultural values. I firmly support the former view; however, both perspectives will be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs.

On the one hand, supporters of the latter view believe that these sources socialise the population which is beneficial in cultural terms. To clarify, for watching movies and film in the cinemas people will step out of their houses or they will commute to other areas. As a result, their cultural values as well as social relations will improve. In addition, it will generate revenue for the country. This is to say that, if people will spend money on watching films in theatres, it will generate revenue for the producers and other employees of the film industry.

While critics of the aforementioned view, including me advocate that watching movies online via internet is cost-effective. Needless to say, visualising movies at home in laptops or pcs will be less costly as compared to theatres. For instance, many people take subscriptions of differents streaming apps for movies which is cheaper than physical venues. Moreover, watching movies at home is convenient than cinemas. What I mean is that, people can watch movies at their comfort without travelling to any place and according to their own schedule of time.

In conclusion, although cinema are essential in maintaining economic and cultural values because it generates income and socialise people, watching movies online is much convenient and pocket friendly as it saves the cost.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding economic benefits is quite brief and could have been expanded with more specific examples of how cinemas support local businesses or the film industry. The conclusion contradicts the introduction slightly, as the introduction states you support the 'former' view (that they are no longer important), but the conclusion focuses heavily on the convenience of online streaming without fully synthesising the cultural importance mentioned earlier. To reach a higher band, ensure that your position is consistently maintained and that each supporting point is fully explored with detailed evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', and 'For instance' are used to link sentences and paragraphs. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. For example, the phrase 'critics of the aforementioned view' is used incorrectly, as the writer actually agrees with the critics rather than opposing them. Improving the precision of these linking phrases would enhance the flow and logical connection between your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'contemporary world' and 'aforementioned', but there are also instances of awkward word choice or collocation, such as 'visualising movies' (instead of 'watching' or 'viewing') and 'at their comfort' (instead of 'in the comfort of their own homes'). Spelling errors like 'differents' also occur. To improve, focus on using collocations more naturally and expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary related to media and economics.

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 that affect the accuracy of the writing. Examples include 'people can any movie' (missing verb), 'if people will spend' (incorrect conditional structure), and 'cinema are essential' (subject-verb agreement). Additionally, the use of 'than' in 'convenient than cinemas' is incorrect; it should be 'more convenient than'. To achieve a higher score, you need to demonstrate better control over complex structures 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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