Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12

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 era, advancement in technology has played a pivotal role to improve lives across the globe. However, it has also change how an individual lives and interacts socially like avoiding cinemas and watching movies and shows online. I am inclined to the fact that cinemas and theaters still have utmost importance.

The most compelling argument as per my perspective is, it benefits culturally in numerous ways such as, engaging public to interact with each other and share the same feeling in one platform, develop a sense of unity and pride while watching patriotic movies, messages can be convey to a large number of people within no time regarding burning issues like climate change. In the lens of movies sharing values of respect and generosity while sitting under one roof contributes culturally.

I am convinced also by the fact that it is crucial in the sense of economic development. Individuals along with their families and friends buy tickets, foods and soft drinks to enjoy movies at cinema which not only helps the shopkeepers, but also the film industry. It is evident from the entertainment industries like the hollywood and bollywood that these industries contribute massively for the economies of countries like US and India. Revenue generated from the film industries is worth considering because it can be used further in the mitigation and adaptation of climate change and poverty elevation.

Taking everything into consideration in light of the above arguments I am convinced that cinemas and theaters are vital for a country both economically and culturally.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the decline of cinemas due to online streaming and their ongoing economic and cultural importance—while also clearly stating the writer's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant, with distinct paragraphs dedicated to cultural and economic arguments respectively. For instance, the student notes that cinemas foster unity through shared experiences and contribute significantly to major film economies like the US and India. However, some ideas tend to be slightly list-like or under-developed, such as the rushed transition linking film revenue to climate change and poverty alleviation, which borders on over-generalisation. Overall, the task is handled adequately, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 6 descriptor profile.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the response into logical sections, including an introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on distinct themes, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases feel slightly forced or repetitive, such as 'I am convinced also by the fact that' and 'Taking everything into consideration in light of the above arguments'. Referencing and referencing links within sentences can occasionally be awkward, such as 'it benefits culturally'. While the progression of ideas is generally understandable, the organizational framework lacks the flexibility and seamless flow characteristic of higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common and topic-specific items such as 'contemporary era', 'pivotal role', 'economic development', and 'mitigation and adaptation'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the text. Examples include 'has also change' (grammatical form error bleeding into lexical control), 'engaging public to interact' instead of 'engaging the public', 'in the lens of movies', and 'poverty elevation' instead of the standard collocation 'poverty alleviation'. These errors reflect a Band 6 level where vocabulary is functional and communicates meaning effectively, but lacks the precision, stylistic awareness, and natural control required for a Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures such as conditional or relative-style clauses ('Individuals along with their families and friends buy tickets... which not only helps...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues. For example, 'advancement in technology has played a pivotal role to improve' should use 'in improving', 'has also change' should be 'has also changed', and sentences in the second body paragraph run on without adequate punctuation breaks, making them dense and harder to parse. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they persist across the text, preventing the response from reaching a Band 7.

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

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