Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 6.0)

It is debatable that the charisma of the theatres and cinemas have lost as people increasingly prefer online entertainment. However, I strongly agree that theatres and cinemas remain important both economically and culturally. Variety of cultural performances can only be experienced live in theatres and not digitally, and they provide significant employment opportunity to actors and staff.

Different regional performances performed in auditorium have their own charm and it is essential to watch it live. Watching it live has its own benefits as actors expressing their emotions, performing dance, or delivering dialogues dramatically cannot be fully captured on screen. For instance, a Kathak dancer's facial expressions and hand movements cannot be fully appreciated on screen. Therefore, live performances provide a unique cultural experience that online platforms cannot replace. Furthermore, the funds spent on OTT platforms can be diverted to actors, lighting assistants, and other theatre staff, which provide significant employment opportunities in this high-cost economy. This would provide stable livelihood for theatre professionals and support the entertainment industry. Since actors are paid more, they show their talent and hardwork and a larger audience is attracted to watch films in cinema and this boosts the entertainment industry economy.

In contrast, people can binge-watch films at home during their spare time. As people have busy schedules in today's economy and cannot attend theatre shows at fixed timings, online platforms provide the flexibility to watch whenever convenient.

To sum up, it is crucial to keep the cultural performances alive and provide actors with the opportunity to showcase their talent in order to grow the entertainment industry economically.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the decline of theatres in the digital age versus their ongoing economic and cultural importance—and presents a clear personal opinion. The student's position is stated in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported, such as providing the specific example of a Kathak dancer's facial expressions to illustrate cultural value. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise or slightly blend economic points, such as linking actor salaries directly to larger audiences in cinemas, which slightly reduces the depth of development. Overall, the task is addressed competently, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7 performance under this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with the introduction and position, moving into cultural and economic arguments in the second paragraph, addressing the counter-perspective in the third paragraph, and concluding cleanly. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', and 'In contrast' are used effectively to connect ideas, though paragraphing and transitions could be slightly smoother in places. Referencing is generally clear, and the overall arrangement guides the reader through the discussion without difficulty, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision, using terms such as 'charisma', 'live performances', 'flexible livelihood', and 'binge-watch'. There are attempts to use less common items with some awareness of style and collocation, although minor inaccuracies occur, such as 'employment opportunity' (should be plural) and 'hardwork' (spelled as one word). However, these vocabulary errors do not impede communication. The lexical range is adequate for discussing the prompt effectively, earning a solid Band 6.5 or 7.0; here, it comfortably meets the standard for Band 6.0 due to recurring minor collocation and morphological slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. For instance, the opening sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error ('the charisma... have lost' instead of 'has been lost'), and other minor issues appear, such as missing articles ('performing in auditorium') and prepositions. Despite these errors, the complex structures attempted show ambition, and communication is rarely impeded. The control of grammar corresponds well to the Band 6 descriptor, where a mix of structures is used alongside some persistent errors.

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